6: Chapter 6: Sailing Out into the Fog

The internal management pains of Spark Technology gradually eased under Su Chen's forceful reorganization. The new organizational structure began to operate, and the first batch of 'graduates' sent by the 'Spark Academy' took up their posts with a preliminary sense of identification with the company. Just as internal affairs tended toward stability, Spark's journey aimed at a broader sea of stars—the overseas market.

On August 1st, under the management of the experienced overseas market head, David Li, the standard version of 'xinghuo no. 1' was priced at 3,499 rmb (approximately 500 USD) and simultaneously launched on Amazon US, Best Buy, and e-commerce platforms in major European Union countries.

David Li was well-versed in the ways of overseas marketing. He focused the publicity on extreme cost-effectiveness and easy-to-use features. At the same time, Spark Technology invested heavily in collaborating with a large number of top KOLs in the fields of technology, photography, and the outdoors on platforms like YouTube and Instagram for product reviews and scenario-based demonstrations.

The 'price butcher' strategy once again showed its astonishing power.

When 'xinghuo no. 1', with performance comparable to or even partially surpassing the Lingyun Spirit 3 (still priced above 1,000 USD), appeared before overseas consumers at nearly half the price, it triggered a buying frenzy even greater than that in the domestic market. Word of mouth fermented rapidly, especially among budget-conscious photography enthusiasts, college students, and outdoor sports fans.

"Incredible price, excellent performance!"

"Is this magic from the East?"

"Lingyun's best challenger has appeared!"

Similar evaluations flooded the comment sections of major e-commerce platforms and the videos of high-popularity bloggers. The name Spark Technology (SparkTech) truly entered the vision of ordinary global consumers for the first time.

The results for the first month were brilliant: overseas shipments exceeded 100,000 units! Sales reached 350 million rmb! Since there was no need to bear domestic channel layering and some marketing expenses, the profit per unit for the overseas version was even higher than the domestic one, reaching 1,500 rmb!

When the good news reached the domestic office, the entire company was jubilant. However, Su Chen and Lin Wan looked at another sales report, frowning slightly.

In the Huaxia domestic market, after experiencing explosive growth in the first month, it inevitably entered a stable period. Sales in July dropped back to 100,000 units, and August was expected to further decline to 80,000 units. This was a normal product life cycle pattern, but the huge success of the overseas market happened to fill the gap left by the domestic growth slowdown.

To date, three months after the launch of 'xinghuo no. 1', cumulative domestic sales reached 480,000 units, with total sales of 1.44 billion rmb! The accumulated profit in the company's account reached a staggering 576 million rmb, and the cash flow was healthier than ever before.

Spark Technology, this broken ship that was once on the verge of sinking, had not only been forcibly pulled back onto its course but had also begun to set sail, becoming a new force in the global drone market that could not be ignored.

But beneath the surface of the sea, undercurrents and hidden reefs followed.

The first to strike was the European Union.

Just as sales of xinghuo no. 1 in the European region were climbing steadily, the European Commission formally issued an announcement, declaring that in response to an application from the 'European Drone Industry Alliance,' it was launching an anti-dumping investigation into 'xinghuo no. 1' drones originating from Huaxia. The announcement pointed out that xinghuo no. 1 was being sold in the EU market at prices 'significantly below normal value,' causing a 'threat of material injury' to the local European drone industry.

"European Drone Industry Alliance?" Su Chen looked at the report submitted by Lin Wan and sneered, "Have you found out who is behind it?"

"On the surface, it's a few small German and French factories on the verge of bankruptcy," Lin Wan replied, "but we've learned through some channels that Lingyun Technology is the main sponsor and the mastermind behind this alliance. They are using their years of operation and influence in Europe to push for this investigation."

Once the anti-dumping investigation is finalized, the EU is likely to impose high anti-dumping duties on xinghuo no. 1, causing its price advantage to vanish and even forcing it to withdraw from the European market.

Almost at the same time, on the other side of the ocean in the United States, a senator known for his hardline stance toward Huaxia publicly stated on personal social media and in a subsequent hearing: "We must be wary of technology products from Huaxia, especially devices like drones that may involve geographic information data and privacy collection. Government agencies, especially sensitive departments, should cautiously evaluate or even ban the use of Huaxia brand drones like 'Spark' to prevent potential data security risks."

"Data security risk," a very sensitive accusation that is difficult to prove one's innocence against. This was no longer simple market competition but had escalated to the level of politics and national security, with a destructive power far exceeding ordinary commercial competition.

Other giants in the industry couldn't sit still either. 3D Robotics in the US, an established drone company with achievements in both professional and consumer markets, saw its CEO publicly call Spark Technology a "rule-breaker" and a "competitor that needs to be taken seriously" for the first time in an interview. The authoritative industry magazine 'Global Drone Watch', in its latest issue, listed Spark Technology as the "Most Disruptive New Entrant of the Year" and analyzed the impact it might have on the global market structure.

Surrounded by powerful enemies, trade barriers and political risks were like dark clouds beginning to shroud the Spark, which had just set sail.

However, what gave Su Chen a slight chill was another seemingly inconspicuous piece of news.

Lin Wan placed a translated blog post on his desk, her expression exceptionally grave: "President Su, you might need to look at this. This is a long article published on his personal blog by Martin White, a senior investigative reporter for 'Global Tech Review'."

The title of the article was—'Miracle or Mirage? A Deep Analysis of Spark Technology's "Quantum Leap".'

The article used extremely detailed data and rigorous logic to review Spark Technology's journey from being on the verge of delisting to soaring into the sky. The author acknowledged the excellence of the 'xinghuo no. 1' product and the success of its market strategy, but then the tone shifted, raising a core question that ran through the entire text:

"...Looking at the history of technological development, the emergence of any disruptive technology is built upon long-term, solid R&D accumulation. However, in the case of Spark Technology, we can find almost no such accumulation process. Its technology, especially the core flight control algorithms, image transmission technology, and integrated gimbal, seems to have matured overnight. This transcends normal R&D patterns. We cannot help but ask: what exactly is the root of Spark Technology's jaw-dropping technological leap? Does there exist a powerful 'external technology provider' that we are not yet aware of?"

The article did not give a conclusion, but throughout, it guided readers to think about various possibilities, from secret acquisitions of undisclosed laboratories to cooperation with a national research institution, or even more bizarre speculations. This kind of rational questioning was more threatening than simple smearing; it began to touch upon Su Chen's most core secret—the system.

Just as Su Chen was digesting the impact of this article, that mysterious financial broker, Zhou Tianyu, once again came uninvited.

This time, he didn't beat around the bush but directly had his assistant deliver a sealed file bag.

Su Chen opened it; inside was a detailed supplier analysis report, and the subject was none other than Lingyun Technology! The report clearly listed Lingyun's core component suppliers, purchase prices, years of cooperation, and even some potential alternative supplier evaluations. For Spark, which was currently in a patent and market war with Lingyun, this was no different from precious 'military intelligence'.

There was no accompanying letter in the file bag, only a simple business card from Zhou Tianyu, with a line handwritten on the back: "President Su, a small gift that might be useful. Looking forward to our next meeting."

This 'gift' came far too strangely and opportunely. What exactly was Zhou Tianyu's purpose? To show goodwill? Or did he want to use this to gain greater trust and pave the way for subsequent actions? His figure became even more shrouded in mist in Su Chen's heart.

Internal troubles and external threats, hidden arrows and open attacks. Su Chen stood before the huge world map in his office, his gaze sweeping across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific... The fire of Spark had been lit, but the winds blowing from all directions were also becoming increasingly fierce.

He took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into his mind, preparing to use the system to plan the next generation of products to deal with the increasingly complex situation.

At that moment, the 'Hyper-Dimensional Tech System' interface, which had been quiet, suddenly flashed with a faint golden light without any warning, and a line of text he had never seen before slowly emerged:

[Detected host civilization process acceleration, stage mission about to be released, please be prepared...]

Su Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Stage mission? Civilization process?

This simple prompt seemed to push open a door to an unknown world in front of him. The light shining from behind the door was both alluring and contained endless unknowns and challenges.

Spark's journey, it seemed, was not as simple as commercial competition from the very beginning.