47: Chapter 47: Badges and Glory

The aircraft carrier formation of the Spark Group had already taken shape, with its six major subsidiaries like unsheathed swords. However, in Su Chen's blueprint, the empire's glory could not be built solely upon current products and markets; it required a deeper foundation, a lighthouse to illuminate the distant future. In the early spring of 2017, the Spark Empire began another profound reinforcement of its own foundation and a grand gathering of its internal morale.

In the top-level strategic conference room of the Spark Group, the atmosphere was different from the usual heated discussions about markets and products; it carried a deeper and more solemn tone.

Su Chen stood at the front of the stage. On the screen behind him was a slowly rotating DNA double helix structure composed of countless points of light, connected by dense lines, symbolizing the intertwining of knowledge and innovation.

“Everyone, we are gathered here today not to discuss the revenue targets for the next quarter, nor to plan the launch of the next product,” Su Chen’s opening remarks set the tone. “What we are going to do is plant a seed—a seed that concerns Spark ten, fifty, or even a hundred years from now.”

The image behind him switched, displaying five bold, powerful characters: “Spark Research Institute,” with a line of smaller text underneath: “Explore the Unknown, Define the Future.”

“I announce that the highest academic and research institution directly under the Spark Group—the Spark Research Institute—is officially established!”

A low murmur of amazement rose from the audience, followed by thunderous applause.

“Its positioning is by no means just the group’s existing R&D center.” Su Chen’s gaze swept across all the executives present. “It will be the ‘Whampoa Military Academy’ of Spark’s future, a cradle for nurturing top scientists and engineers, and a fertile ground where the most cutting-edge and daring innovative ideas can take root and grow into towering trees! What we need to solve are not just today's bottleneck technologies, but to actively define the technologies of tomorrow that have yet to appear!”

He elaborated on the institute's operational model: it would be managed directly by the group, with an independent budget and evaluation system. It would recruit the most promising top undergraduate, master's, and doctoral graduates globally. Those selected would be called “Institute Fellows.” In their first two years, they would receive systematic cross-disciplinary theoretical training and rotate through several core R&D departments within the group. Afterward, they would not be immediately assigned to solve specific product problems but would directly enter various frontier laboratories under the institute. Under the guidance of senior scientists, they would engage in basic research and exploratory engineering that might only see application prospects in five to ten years.

“We will give them the right to fail and the freedom to look up at the stars,” Su Chen’s voice was full of power. “Because I know that among them, there will surely be those who can touch a future we cannot imagine today.”

Subsequently, Su Chen invited an elderly man with a vigorous spirit and wise eyes to the stage. He was the titan of material science whom Su Chen had invited from a top domestic university with great sincerity: Academician Chen Jingrun.

“I am honored to be invited as the first dean of the Spark Research Institute,” Academician Chen’s voice was calm yet forceful. “Mr. Su Chen has given me a platform every scientist dreams of—ample funding, top-tier equipment, an undisturbed environment, and most importantly, respect for the spirit of pure exploration. My task is to build this place into the most desirable holy land for young scientific and technological talents worldwide, so that the sparks of wisdom can converge here into a roaring flame that illuminates the path forward for human civilization.”

The establishment of the research institute was like a giant stone thrown into a lake, creating massive ripples within the group, especially among the young technical staff. The internal forums were filled with longing and discussions regarding the “Institute Fellow” qualifications.

Even before the ripples of the institute's founding had settled, a report of victory from the group's manufacturing cornerstone once again proved the foresight of Su Chen's strategic layout.

Lin Wan, acting as the chairwoman of Xingchen Heavy Industry, walked into Su Chen's office with a report.

“President Su, the performance results for Xingchen Heavy Industry for the second half of 2016 are out.” Her tone carried a hint of irrepressible excitement. “Against the backdrop of a severe shortage of high-end machine tools, especially four-axis and five-axis machines, we achieved sales of 6.1 billion rmb in the second half of the year!”

She pushed the report in front of Su Chen, pointing to the most critical item: “Net profit, 3.15 billion!”

This profit margin was staggering! It fully proved the terrifying profitability inherent in high-end manufacturing once technical barriers are broken. This was not just the success of Xingchen Heavy Industry itself; the precision machine tools it produced acted like mother machines, feeding back into and improving the manufacturing standards and product precision of other subsidiaries within the xinghuo system, such as Spark Industry and Spark Chip.

Su Chen quickly scanned the report, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. He walked to the window, looked at the busy scene in the distant Xingchen Heavy Industry park, and decisively ordered:

“Keep all the profits. Invest 3 billion to immediately start the second phase of the production base expansion! The goal is to double our existing high-end machine tool capacity!”

He turned around, his gaze sharp: “The domestic market's thirst for high-end machine tools far exceeds our imagination, and orders at the national level are also constantly increasing. Xingchen Heavy Industry is the manufacturing foundation of our Spark system and a key link in the upgrade of China's entire high-end manufacturing industry. We must stay ahead of demand and even actively create it! This expansion must not only meet orders but also accelerate the process of comprehensive domestic replacement of high-end machine tools, transforming our leading edge into unshakable industrial dominance!”

With both the “Future Foundation” and the “Manufacturing Foundation” firmly in place, Su Chen turned his gaze toward the most core element of building an empire—people.

The group's official internal system and all-staff email released an announcement that ignited the emotions of all employees:

“To thank all colleagues for their outstanding contributions and for standing together through thick and thin over the past year, Spark Group will hold the ‘Sparkling Spark · Building the Future Together’ 2016 Annual Gala on January 28, 2017, at the Shencheng Bay Sports Center! At that time, approximately 30,000 employees from the group’s global locations will be invited to join the grand celebration!”

As soon as the news broke, the “Home of Spark” internal forum was instantly flooded with posts!

“An annual meeting for 30,000 people?! My god! This scale must have broken records, right?”

“Shencheng Bay Sports Center?! Isn't that where concerts are held? Our company booked the whole place?”

“Requesting the program list! Requesting the guest lineup! Requesting the prize list!”

“As a Spark employee, my pride is overflowing at this moment!”

Lin Wan personally led the preparation work, with full cooperation from the group's administrative, marketing, and public relations departments. The specifications were unprecedentedly high.

* **Venue and Stage**: Booking the entire Shencheng Bay Sports Center, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people, and hiring a top domestic stage design team to create a 360-degree immersive stage using technologies like holographic projection, vowing to create a visual feast.

* **Celebrity Lineup**: Although Su Chen requested the focus remain internal, for the sake of the atmosphere, the most popular and talented singers and bands of the year were invited, along with some celebrities who had become associated with the company through using Spark products, forming a powerhouse performance lineup.

* **Award Settings**: The prize list for the annual meeting's lucky draw was breathtakingly luxurious. The grand prize was ten top-of-the-line luxury sedans; the first prize was the latest top-spec new energy vehicles; in addition, there were hundreds of the latest flagship smartphones, laptops, Spirit Eye 2 cameras, spark 3 drones... The cash red envelope prize pool was as high as 100 million! At the same time, several special contribution awards were established, such as the “Annual Technological Breakthrough Award,” “Annual Market Expansion Award,” and “Annual Spark Craftsman Award,” with bonuses as high as the million-yuan level.

As the date of the annual gala approached, the entire group was immersed in a festive state of excitement and anticipation. Every department was privately rehearsing performances, discussing what to wear, and guessing who would win the big prizes. The sense of identity and collective honor carried by the term “Spark Person” reached an unprecedented peak at this moment. This was not just a party; it was a concentrated tempering of the corporate soul, a grand and sincere tribute and reward to the 30,000 warriors who had collectively created miracles.

The foundation was built, and the glory was revealed. The Spark Empire, in a triple symphony of talent, manufacturing, and culture, played a majestic prelude to the next, even more brilliant chapter. Everyone sensed that the grand gathering witnessed by 30,000 people would not only be a summary of the 2016 legend but also a swearing-in ceremony for the conquest of the sea of stars in 2017.