5: Chapter 5: Growing Pains

Defeating Lingyun Technology's first round of sniping not only brought a soaring stock price and massive cash flow to Spark Technology, but also unprecedented development opportunities and the subsequent 'happy troubles' that followed.

The company's front desk was nearly buried under job seekers' resumes. To meet the demands of explosive business growth, Spark Technology launched an ambitious 'Thousand-Person Recruitment Plan.' For a time, new employees from various backgrounds flooded into the originally somewhat empty office building like a tide.

The hallways were packed with young people waiting for interviews, and the office area became cramped with constantly added workstations. The air was filled with a mixture of excitement and chaos. The veteran employees could still vaguely remember the company's lifeless state just a few months ago, and they were now somewhat dazed by this sudden impact of prosperity.

The technical department was the fastest-expanding department. Wang Ming watched his team of twenty rapidly swell to a hundred. Countless young, energetic faces called him 'Director Wang' with reverence, yet he felt a recurring sense of inadequacy. His strength lay in tackling technical challenges, not in managing a large and complex team. Uneven task distribution, conflicts in technical philosophies between new and old employees, and failures in project coordination... various management issues left him overwhelmed. He was forced to shift a great deal of energy from technical research to meetings and approving processes, which left him feeling exhausted and frustrated.

"Engineer Wang, that new batch of interns crashed the testing environment!"

"Director, Group A and Group B are fighting over this interface definition, and the project is stuck!"

"Director Wang, who exactly approves the server resource application process? Director Lin's side says it depends on your opinion..."

Problems like these emerged one after another. Wang Ming felt like a fire captain, rushing everywhere to put out fires, yet new ones kept cropping up.

Not just the technical department, but the entire company was caught in 'growth pains.' The original flat architecture and simple processes proved inadequate after the surge in personnel. 'Departmental silos' began to appear between departments, and communication costs rose sharply. Marketing complained that Product responded slowly; Product accused Tech of being unable to implement requirements; while Finance and Administration were buried under a mountain of reimbursement and procurement requests. As the core of internal coordination, Lin Wan's phone never stopped ringing. She was exhausted from navigating the bickering and resource competition between departments, her originally clear voice now carrying a hint of hoarseness.

Right in the midst of this internal chaos, external capital began to peer in.

Zhao Feng from Dingfeng Investment visited again. This time, his face carried unabashed admiration and a sense of triumph.

"Brother Su! Beautifully done!" Zhao Feng slapped Su Chen's shoulder hard as soon as he entered the office. "Lingyun's three-pronged attack was easily neutralized by you! Monthly sales of 300,000 units, and the stock price has tripled! When I go out now, everyone in the circle praises me, Zhao Feng, for having a keen eye and picking up a priceless treasure!"

He sat comfortably on the sofa, crossing his legs: "It looks like for the year-end gambling agreement, I'll only be able to take that 5% equity. Brother Su, any plans for the next round of financing? We at Dingfeng will definitely give our full support!"

After the pleasantries, Zhao Feng's expression turned a bit more serious. He leaned forward and lowered his voice: "However, brother, a tall tree attracts the wind. Spark is now a piece of fatty meat dripping with oil, and many eyes are on it. This crazy surge in stock price has already caught the attention of some 'wolves.' You need to be careful."

Zhao Feng's warning was still ringing in his ears when the fangs of capital began to faintly show.

A few days later, a strange man claiming to be an investment manager from 'Huasheng Capital' contacted Su Chen through various connections, expressing a desire to visit and 'discuss potential cooperation.' Su Chen, maintaining an open attitude, agreed.

However, the person who appeared in his office was not an official representative of Huasheng Capital, but a middle-aged man named Zhou Tianyu. He wore a custom suit, the luxury watch on his wrist was particularly eye-catching, and his smile was warm but didn't reach his eyes. His speech and mannerisms exuded a sense of slickness and depth.

"I've heard much of your great name, CEO Su. Seeing you today, you are indeed young and promising!" Zhou Tianyu exchanged pleasantries, but the conversation gradually shifted to the core. "Some of my friends are very optimistic about Spark Technology. They believe that Spark's value has far from been fully realized. I wonder if CEO Su has considered introducing some shareholders with more 'strategic value'? On our side, we can coordinate a very substantial amount of long-term capital to help Spark quickly complete industrial integration, or even... move toward a broader stage."

His words were full of temptation, but Su Chen keenly captured the underlying testing tone. The so-called 'strategic value' shareholders and 'coordinated capital' likely hid an intention to influence or even control the company by acquiring a large number of outstanding shares or partnering with other institutions. This was a gentle, early-stage probe for a hostile takeover.

Su Chen replied politely with a few sentences, and finally, he declined Zhou Tianyu's investment request. "I'm sorry, CEO Zhou. Currently, the company's cash flow is good, and we won't be seeking financing for the time being. If there is a need, we will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you for your recognition of the company."

Meanwhile, ST Spark's stock price did not stop after breaking through 3 yuan, continuing to fluctuate violently at high levels. On the market board, sudden large-volume surges and suppressions frequently occurred without warning, and trading volume expanded abnormally. The public opinion report compiled by Lin Wan showed that several active hot money seats frequently appeared on the Dragon-Tiger list. Clearly, Spark Technology had become a 'star stock' being frantically speculated on in the capital market. This speculation brought an inflated market value, but also created great uncertainty and risk for the company's future capital operations.

With internal troubles and external threats hitting simultaneously, Su Chen felt a pressure more complex than when facing Lingyun Technology. He realized that the company could no longer continue growing wildly; it had to undergo systematic organization and strategic planning.

He first gathered core members like Lin Wan and Wang Ming.

"Lin Wan, the company's management chaos must end," Su Chen authorized decisively. "I appoint you to take the lead, working with the heads of various departments, to produce a new organizational structure adjustment plan and a standard business process manual within a week. At the same time, officially establish the 'Spark Academy.' You will concurrently serve as the Dean, responsible for all new employee induction training and corporate culture transmission. I want everyone who enters Spark to understand who we are and where we are going!"

"Engineer Wang," Su Chen looked at the weary technical director, "I know management is difficult for you. As soon as possible, promote or hire a few project managers with management potential from the new and internal staff to free you from tedious affairs. Your core value is in technical breakthroughs. Additionally, I will personally interview and hire a Technical Vice Director for you to handle daily management."

While stabilizing the internal situation, Su Chen also began to build a deeper defense and offense system.

He called upon the more than 90 million in cash accumulated in his personal account and sank his consciousness into the system interface.

[Confirm purchase of 'Next-Generation Intelligent Battery Management Technology' (Increases battery life by 15%, charging efficiency by 30%)? Cost: 30 million.]

[Confirm purchase of 'Basic AI Visual Recognition Algorithm' (Enhances obstacle recognition precision, supports following in more complex scenarios)? Cost: 50 million.]

"Confirm!"

The massive funds were transferred, and two sets of technical data, years ahead of the current era, instantly flooded into his mind and formed detailed documents. This would ensure that 'xinghuo no. 2' would have a generational advantage in performance and intelligence over Lingyun and even global competitors.

Finally, Su Chen made an important decision regarding the future. He signed documents to officially establish the 'Strategic Investment Department' directly under the Chairman's Office. This department would temporarily have no head and be led by him personally. Its primary task was not to make money, but to study the upstream and downstream of the drone industry chain—from core chips and sensors to batteries, composite materials, and even potential future application fields. He wanted to plan ahead and build Spark Technology's own industrial ecosystem, firmly grasping the throat of destiny in his own hands.

Outside the office was the noise of new employees and the busyness of the veterans; on the stock market board were the price fluctuations controlled by hot money; in the shadows of capital were the covetous gazes of people like Zhou Tianyu. Su Chen stood in the center of the office, his gaze calm.

He knew that solving 'growing pains' could not rely solely on plugging leaks; he had to use faster growth to cover and digest it all. A new battle had quietly begun.