The Launch

The next morning, as the sun cast its first golden rays over the training ground, Sanjay and Nirav arrived. A sprawling group of two thousand soldiers filled the area, engaged in various activities—some basking in the warmth, others engaged in idle chatter. The scene before him was chaotic, lacking the discipline of a trained force. Sanjay frowned slightly. If these men were to become an elite army, they had a long way to go.

As soon as the soldiers noticed their master and commander approaching, they ceased their activities. A wave of motion swept through them as they knelt on one knee in unison, their heads bowed in respect. At least they were loyal. That was a good start.

Sanjay gave a small nod of approval before motioning to one of the soldiers. "Bring me a dummy dressed in full steel armor," he instructed.

Without hesitation, two men rushed off and soon returned, carrying a heavily armored training dummy designed for cavalry practice. They set it down exactly where Sanjay had indicated.

Sanjay stepped forward and lifted the weapon in his hands—a rifle. "From today onward, your unit will be using this special weapon. Pay close attention." He held the gun up for them to see.

Murmurs spread through the ranks. Many of the soldiers exchanged skeptical glances. The weapon was nothing like the swords, bows, or spears they had trained with. Its design was crude, unfamiliar. Someone whispered something about its ugly shape, but Sanjay ignored the comment.

Without another word, he turned to the dummy, switched off the safety, loaded the rifle, and pulled the trigger.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The deafening roar of gunfire ripped through the air. The impact was instantaneous—before their eyes could even register what had happened, the armored dummy was reduced to mangled pieces. A stunned silence followed.

The soldiers collectively inhaled sharply, their disbelief evident. Even Nirav, ever composed, couldn't hide his astonishment. His sharp eyes were locked onto the weapon, mind racing to process what he had just witnessed.

After letting the moment sink in, Sanjay finally spoke. He explained the mechanics of the weapon, how it worked, and its sheer lethality in battle. Some of the men whispered about witchcraft, but once they got the chance to fire it themselves, their fear turned to awe.

One by one, they pulled the trigger, feeling the raw power at their fingertips. By the end of the session, many were grinning, their initial doubts long forgotten. They had never wielded anything so devastating before.

With that, Sanjay laid out a structured training plan for the soldiers, crafted meticulously by Iris. The regimen combined physical endurance drills with rigorous firearm practice. His focus was on instilling discipline and maximizing their combat potential. Nirav, as commander, was tasked with overseeing their progress and enforcing the plan.

For a week, Sanjay stayed by their side, guiding them, refining their techniques, ensuring they adapted. His presence was a constant force, instilling confidence in them. But outside of training, his time was spent elsewhere—with Alisha.

Late one night, as moonlight filtered through the window, Sanjay lay beside Alisha, their bodies tangled in the warmth of the bed. Exhaustion clung to both of them, but neither was ready to sleep just yet.

She traced lazy circles on his chest before murmuring, "Do you really have to go?"

Sanjay turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze. Her eyes held a quiet understanding, yet there was an undeniable softness in them. He smiled. "Yeah, I have some unfinished business."

She didn't push for details. She never did. Alisha knew better than to question where he disappeared to or what he was up to. It was one of the things he appreciated about her—her ability to accept without prying. No matter how close they were, he wasn't ready to reveal his secrets to anyone. Not yet.

With a silent nod, she rose from the bed, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips before slipping away to get dressed. A moment later, she was gone, leaving only the scent of her perfume in the air.

Sanjay exhaled slowly, then vanished from the room without a trace.

In the modern world, he materialized inside his room. He took his jacket and went towards a bustling coffee shop. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as he took a sip from his cup, his mind already focused on the task ahead.

Today was an important day. He was finally looking for an office.

He had contacted a broker earlier, and they had agreed to meet here. As he waited, he enjoyed his drink, savoring the rare moment of quiet.

"Sanjay?"

A voice called his name, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned to see a man approaching—middle-aged, around forty, with a confident yet approachable demeanor.

"Chetan?" Sanjay asked, recognizing him immediately.

The man nodded with a friendly smile. "Yes, Sanjay. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands firmly before getting down to business.

"So, what kind of office space are you looking for?" Chetan asked, settling into the seat across from him.

"I want to rent a single floor," Sanjay replied, leaning forward slightly. "The building should be new, and security is a priority. I'm not looking for some old, run-down place."

Chetan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I have a few properties in mind. I can show them to you today."

Sanjay nodded. "Sounds good. Let's go."

Sanjay and Chetan climbed onto the bike, and the office hunt began. The day stretched long as they moved from one location to another, checking out various buildings. Some were too old, some lacked security, and others simply didn't feel right.

By evening, after hours of searching, Sanjay finally settled on an office space.

It was on the third floor of a four-story building, already furnished, making it an easy choice. In Guwahati, high-rise buildings were rare due to the region's earthquake-prone nature, so this was one of the best options available. The space covered 3,000 square feet—larger than he needed, but it came at a reasonable price of ₹50,000 per month. Considering his financial situation, the cost wasn't a concern.

Sanjay needed the office urgently. The next day, with his parents present, he finalized the contract. Seeing them there, witnessing the official opening of his first company, stirred something deep inside him. He had come a long way.

A large signboard was placed at the entrance, bearing the company's name in bold letters: Future Technologies.

Security was his next priority. Since his servers and critical data would be housed here, he couldn't afford any risks. Without delay, he contracted a professional security company and opted for their most advanced package. But he wasn't going to rely on conventional security alone.

Returning to the future world, he acquired high-tech security systems—advanced surveillance cameras, biometric security locks, mini security drones, and a cutting-edge AI designed to monitor the entire premises.

Back at the office, he selected a secure room in the middle of the floor, far from any windows. This would serve as the core of his operations. Inside, he carefully set up his server and a compact fusion reactor. The moment he stepped out, the door to the room vanished, seamlessly blending into the surrounding wall.

Even if someone knew the exact location, breaking in was nearly impossible. The doors were crafted from an alloy harder than titanium, and the security drones, using holographic cloaking, remained invisible to the human eye.

The AI system, installed within the same server, ensured that security remained active even in his absence. Everything was in place.

"Iris, is the software ready?" Sanjay asked, his voice calm yet filled with anticipation.

[Yes, host. The software is fully prepared for launch.]

"Alright, make it live."

A surge of excitement coursed through him. Although he had previously developed an OCR-based software, this was on another level—far more advanced than anything available in 2025.

Alongside his compression technology, he had added a powerful encryption feature. What he didn't yet realize was just how groundbreaking this encryption was. It wasn't just an added function—it was something that would soon give governments and intelligence agencies nightmares.

[The software is live, host. Everything is functioning as expected.]

Sanjay connected to the internet and checked the company's website, Future Technologies. The design was sleek, modern—exactly the image he wanted to project. A futuristic company for a future world.

"How's the customer service AI performing?" he inquired.

[Sir, the AI is fully operational, but no inquiries have been made yet.]

Sanjay nodded. It had only been a few minutes since the launch—there was no reason to expect an immediate flood of interest. After all, this wasn't the internet-driven era yet. But he had already planned for this.

He accessed his database of future knowledge, pulling out some of the most successful software advertisements from later years. With Iris's help, he modified them to suit his product and target audience.

Advertising was crucial. He had already established contracts with major advertising firms that had a strong presence in the US, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

It had been less than a week since he sold his OCR-based software, and he had just received confirmation from Oracle regarding the payment. Soon, the money would be deposited into his accounts.

For the advertising campaign, however, he used his offshore account. There was still $20 million left in it from previous transactions, and he saw no reason to hold back. He allocated the entire amount to a massive global advertising push—TV commercials on major networks, digital billboards in prime locations, and online ads across various platforms.

One month should be enough to make it a hit among companies worldwide.

In Hollywood, USA, Brian, the chief film editor, was facing a major crisis. He had been assigned the daunting task of finalizing the editing for a film that relied heavily on VFX—The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by none other than Peter Jackson.

The movie was massive, already generating an incredible buzz after the release of its trailer. The entire industry had its eyes on it. But with just two weeks left until the final deadline, Brian was struggling.

The problem? The film's sheer size.

The files were too large to distribute worldwide through the network. Every frame was packed with intricate details, and compressing them without losing quality was proving impossible.

Peter Jackson wanted this to be the greatest VFX film of all time, and there was no room for compromise. The files needed to reach theaters globally for a same-day release, and right now, that seemed unattainable.

To make matters worse, the director had already scolded him once, and Brian felt like he was on the verge of losing his job. He had tried every compression software available—none could meet the requirements.

Exhausted and overwhelmed, Brian leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples as a dull headache set in. His mind drifted to worst-case scenarios—what if he actually got fired? What would he do next? He had been in this industry for twenty-five years, but even experience wasn't enough to solve this problem.

Sighing, he picked up his coffee and walked to the window. The city lights glowed in the distance, but his eyes settled on something closer—a group of workers changing a billboard advertisement. The new ad caught his attention.

CompresX: The Future of Compression - Up to 90x Compression Without Data Loss!

Brian let out a dry chuckle. Yeah, right.

He had been in this field too long to fall for marketing gimmicks. 90x compression? Without losing data? Impossible. No technology in existence could achieve that. Had no one fact-checked this before approving the ad?

Still, desperation was a funny thing. He had already tried everything else. What was one more failed attempt?

Returning to his desk, he typed in the website URL listed on the billboard. To his surprise, the Future Technologies website looked sleek and futuristic. At least they spent money on design, he thought. Navigating the site, he quickly found the software and clicked the download button.

The download finished in an instant.

Brian frowned. What? Is the file corrupted?

Even small software files usually took time to download, especially with the sluggish 2G internet speed in his office. Yet, this one had appeared almost instantly. Suspicious, he checked the file size.

200 bytes.

His jaw dropped. Bytes? Not kilobytes, not megabytes—just bytes?

He blinked at the screen. Is this even a real file? A text document would take up more space than this.

His first thought was that it had to be a virus. But then again, even malware required more storage than this. Besides, the film had multiple backups. There wasn't much to lose.

He took a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the mouse. What the hell. Let's see what this thing can do.