30: Chapter 30: Breaking the Stalemate and Drawing the Sword

The air in the strategic conference room on the top floor of Spark Technology headquarters was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out. Around the massive circular conference table, all the core executives of the company were present, each of their faces shrouded in gloom. On the central projection screen, the original text of the "337 Investigation" announcement issued by the United States Department of Commerce was displayed; those cold legal clauses now hung like a noose over everyone's hearts.

Su Chen sat at the head of the table, his expression calm, but the unconscious tapping of his fingertips against the table betrayed the turmoil within him. He scanned the room and broke the silence: "Everyone is clear on the situation. This is not ordinary commercial competition; it is a meticulously planned attack aimed at completely strangling us. The chip supply cut targets the lifeblood of our consumer business. Now is not the time for dejection; I want to hear your response plans—the more specific and tough, the better."

Liang Zhen, Director of Legal and Intellectual Property, was the first to push up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as an eagle's. On the tablet in front of him, dense lists of legal articles and cases were already laid out. "Mr. Su, everyone, regarding the 337 Investigation, we cannot just sit back and take the beating; we must take the initiative and act on multiple fronts. I suggest we build our defense and counterattack system from three angles:"

**Angle One: Legal Procedural War—Yield Not an Inch, Delay to Change the Situation.**

Liang Zhen's voice was calm and professional. "First, we will immediately assemble a top-tier defense team and hire the most experienced law firms in the field of 337 investigations in both China and America. Our strategy is not to expect an immediate victory, but to fully exploit the complexity and length of the American legal process."

He pulled up a chart. "Step one: file a motion to challenge the reasonableness of their investigation scope, requesting that our battery and machine tool businesses be excluded on the grounds that they are unrelated to the alleged 'unfair competition.' This step alone can delay them by at least three months."

"Step two: during the discovery phase, we will issue massive requests for documentation, using a compliant 'paper flood' tactic to slow down their pace and increase their litigation costs. At the same time, we will firmly demand that they produce specific evidence of the alleged 'stolen technology.' They won't be able to provide it, and this is the fatal weakness in their procedure."

"This is a war of attrition, and the goal is to bog the investigation down in a quagmire, buying us at least a year or more of precious time."

**Angle Two: Technical Patent Shield—Consolidate the Foundation, Turn Defense into Offense.**

Wang Ming and Evan Chen, who were in charge of technology, exchanged a glance and took over the conversation. Wang Ming said in a deep voice, "Director Liang's method is 'defense,' while our technology is 'offense.' Mr. Su, over the past year, relying on the system... er, relying on our all-out R&D, we have accumulated a large number of foundational and peripheral patents in drone flight control algorithms, battery management systems, and even machine tool numerical control cores."

Evan Chen added, "We have finished sorting through them, and we can absolutely launch a series of patent infringement countersuits in their major markets against those American companies that initiated the investigation, as well as the members of the capital alliance behind them. They accuse us of 'potential' infringement; we accuse them of 'confirmed' infringement. This is called 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,' drawing the flames of war into their own backyard. Even if we cannot win immediately, it will greatly tie up their energy and create an image of us launching a strong counterattack in the public eye."

**Angle Three: Supply Chain and Market Counterattack—You Fight Your Fight, I Fight Mine.**

Shen Nanpeng took a deep breath and produced the report that the finance and marketing teams had worked on overnight. "This is the most realistic and cruelest part. chip inventories are critical, and the drone business is bearing the brunt of it. We must immediately carry out a strategic contraction and transformation."

He pointed to the global map on the screen. "First, large-scale contraction in overseas consumer markets. The North American and European markets will basically be stagnant during the investigation. We will concentrate our resources on two new directions: Russia and the Middle East. These regions are relatively less affected by American sanctions and influence, and they have an urgent need for our high-performance drones. Especially the Middle East; they highly value the potential for converting civilian use to military use."

"Second, dig deep into the potential of the domestic market. Leveraging our recent immense brand reputation, we will launch 'Domestic Goods, Self-Strengthening' themed marketing, while simultaneously accelerating drone industry application solutions, such as agricultural plant protection, power line inspection, and security monitoring, to make up for the losses in the consumer market."

"Third, and the most critical step—" Shen Nanpeng looked at Su Chen, his tone becoming incomparably grave, "launch the 'Plan B' we discussed."

Everyone's eyes focused on Su Chen.

Su Chen slowly stood up, walked to the world map, and pointed his finger precisely at the location of Saudi Arabia. "That's right, Plan B. Since they won't let us sell civilian products in peace, we will change our path and sell them something that will make them lose even more sleep."

He turned around, his gaze burning. "I have decided to establish a joint venture with the Arab Industrial Company supported by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and build the Spark-Arab Defense Company on the outskirts of Riyadh. We will use our existing drone platform as a foundation, integrate our most advanced reconnaissance, communication, and image recognition modules, and develop a tactical reconnaissance and artillery guidance system named **thunderbird no. 1**."

A slight intake of breath sounded in the conference room. Shifting directly from civilian to military trade was a step too large and too sensitive.

Lin Wan spoke up at the right moment, presenting the preliminary results of their communication. "We have already had several rounds of secret contact with the Saudi side, and they have great confidence in the technical strength we previously demonstrated in batteries and drones. The complex battlefield environment in the Middle East is in urgent need of this kind of unmanned reconnaissance system capable of long-duration battlefield surveillance, providing real-time coordinate correction for artillery, and accompanying infantry or light vehicles. thunderbird no. 1 happens to meet their needs. The Saudi side is willing to provide funding, facilities, and political asylum, while we provide the core technology and personnel. We will take the lion's share of the profit split."

"But, Mr. Su, this involves military export licenses and complex international relations..." an executive said with concern.

"As for the license issue, the Saudi side has promised they will use the highest level of connections to resolve it. As for international relations?" Su Chen's mouth curled into a cold, sharp arc. "Others have already put a knife to our throats; are we still expected to follow the rules they made that only benefit them? To survive, and to survive even stronger, is our only rule now!"

He scanned the crowd and issued a series of orders. "Liang Zhen, the legal front is yours. I want you to become a hard bone that they cannot chew!"

"Wang Ming, Evan, start the patent counterattack immediately. Make it big!"

"Mr. Shen, market contraction and new market expansion must happen simultaneously. Move quickly!"

"Lin Wan, lead the team yourself, finalize the agreement with the Saudi side, and get the joint venture up and running as soon as possible. You are fully responsible for coordinating the thunderbird no. 1 project!"

"Also," Su Chen added at the end, "notify Spark Power and Xingchen Heavy Industry to fully guarantee the supply of batteries and precision components needed for the thunderbird project. This is the key to breaking our deadlock; success is the only option, failure is not allowed!"

Orders were issued one after another. The entire massive machine that was Spark Technology, after suffering a heavy blow, not only did not stop turning, but instead began to operate at an even more frenzied speed, and bared its long-hidden fangs.

One month later, at a desert testing ground on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Under the scorching sun, a thunderbird no. 1, with a more streamlined shape and stealthier paint job than a civilian drone, quietly took off. Inside the ground control station, Su Chen, Lin Wan, and several Saudi royal family members and high-ranking officers dressed in white robes watched the screen together.

On the screen, real-time high-definition images from within a radius of dozens of kilometers were clearly transmitted back; sand dunes, roads, and simulated enemy vehicles were all visible at a glance. Following the operator's command, thunderbird no. 1 quickly locked onto a simulated artillery target and instantly transmitted the precise coordinates and data link information to the assumed artillery position in the rear.

A few minutes later, an orange-red smoke column, symbolizing a successful artillery strike, rose in the distance.

"Perfect! Truly perfect!" The leading Saudi prince clapped his hands vigorously, his face full of excited smiles. "Mr. Su, your thunderbird not only has sharp eyes, but its reaction speed is beyond imagination! This will bring a qualitative improvement to our army's combat capabilities! Let's sign the cooperation agreement today!"

Su Chen and Lin Wan exchanged a smile, and the heavy weight in their hearts lifted slightly.

Meanwhile, Spark Technology officially announced that due to "force majeure supply chain factors," it would temporarily withdraw from the American consumer-grade drone market and shift its business focus to specific regions and industry applications. This announcement caused shockwaves in the capital market, but hedged by the news—simultaneously released by Liang Zhen's team—of multiple patent countersuits launched against American companies, the stock price did not see a panic sell-off.

A storm-like crisis was forcefully withstood in its first wave by Su Chen's combination of the legal shield, the technical spear, and the market sword, and from the ruins, he blazed a trail leading to a more dangerous, but potentially more glorious, path of military trade.

The thunderbird had already spread its wings in the desert, while deeper layouts and more intense confrontations had only just begun. Spark had not been extinguished; rather, under pressure, it had been tempered into a tougher form.