Vince was busy working with Patel and the engineering team for the remaining summer vacation, providing support for the Hive Mind upgrade.

After Hudson expanded the material science division, Future Tech started experimenting with more exotic materials. 

Materials like carbon nanotubes that were more efficient than traditional silicon in semiconductors have been in development in-house.

Laboratories typically produce carbon nanotubes in small quantities and are unused by major processor manufacturers like TSMC.

Morgan and Patel were able to apply the Hive Mind AI in upgrading equipment bought from Texas Instruments to produce carbon nanotubes in larger quantities.

This action voided the warranty of $100 million worth of fabrication equipment, but it was a drop in the bucket for Future Tech, fortunately.

The headquarters was divided into office space for the 800+ employees living in Austin and systems/manufacturing/fabrication space.

“Vince, we’ll be able to test the new processor designs incorporating carbon nanotubes soon. After testing, we’ll estimate the manufacturing costs and compare prices to Intel and AMD.” Morgan said.

“We’ll be competing with some of the largest tech companies in the world in this business. Is there any potential operational risk?” Vince asked.

“Hudson and Patel calculated our potential business risk for the past few months and concluded the Hive Mind AI can meet the market expectations,” Morgan replied confidently.

“Though we’ll need an increase in budget for all the materials the Hive Mind will use,” Patel interjected.

“I’ll have Ralph set up the new budget for Hive Mind after our meeting,” Vince replied.

“The least advanced technology applied in the drones are the batteries. The material science department will have to innovate soon to provide enough battery life and power as we upgrade the Hive Mind.” Patel said.

“I suggest for our engineers to work with Tesla in advancing battery technology for to both our benefit,” Vince instructed.

“I’ll speak to Hudson about the collaboration,” Patel replied.

“Alright, Price and I will be in Las Vegas for Tom’s fight. Contact us if anything is needed.” Vince declared.

A few days after the meeting, Vince and Price boarded a private jet Future Tech had rented. Tom was already in Las Vegas, training for the fight locally.

Vince and Price spent some time and money around Las Vegas, but as a minor, Vince couldn’t do much anyway.

The Agera R was on a car hauler truck on the way to Austin, so Vince had to make do with a rented Ferrari 458 Italia from a local exotic car rental business.

The light heavyweight fight gained a decent amount of spectators based on ticket pre-sales advertised on BitCash and the Pro League Season 2 broadcasts.

The fight can be watched for free on all major platforms like ESPN or YouTube.

Vince and Price visited Tom during his last training sessions before the fight.

“How are you feeling, Tom. Did the promotion get you worried?” Vince asked jokingly.

“Nah, it’s given me the opposite effect. I’m even more pumped up to show the world I’m the best fighter.” Tom replied.

“Good. We’ll see each other again after the fight.” Vince said as he and Price left the Las Vegas gym.

The event was not as big as the Pro League Season 1 Finals but was massive, considering it was Tom’s first fight.

The MGM hall was full of spectators interested in seeing how a fighter promoted by Future Studios would do.

The announcer introduced both fighters in the middle of the circular cage.

“In the red corner, the current light heavyweight champion, Adrik Kulikov!”

The local fans were cheering for the champ.

“In the blue corner, the challenger, Tom Fury!”

The rest of the crowd started cheering for Tom.

The referee stepped in between both fighters and confirmed they understood the rules.

Adrik Kulikov was a wrestling and grappling specialist and had won plenty of Sambo tournaments in Russia.

[Though Tom is a BJJ brown belt, it would be quite challenging to get the fight to the ground.] Vince thought.

“This Adrik guy looks though, but I’ve trained with Tom for a long time since he was in middle school. That kid has talent and skill.” Price declared.

Vince and Price watched the fight from the VIP booth. So all the spectators could see them both in the hall.

The fight started, and Tom immediately threw a few probing strikes at Adrik.

Adrik was unfazed and returned some strikes at Tom.

Tom attempted a [double collar tie] and was able to grip Adrik’s neck with both his hands and arms to break his posture.

Adrik was too experienced to be controlled by a [double collar tie] and instantly gripped one of Tom’s arms using the [2 on 1] technique.

Tom understood his situation clearly and instantly let go of the [double collar tie] to protect his arm.

The fight continued for two rounds while exchanging punches and leg kicks.

Adrik led the fight with more significant strikes and left Tom on the back foot.

Vince had a worried look as he watched his friend struggling against an experienced fighter.

[Why do you look so worried, Vince? I can see what Tom is doing while Adrik is entirely unaware. Tom hasn’t attempted a traditional takedown since the start of the fight.] Price commented.

Two minutes remained during the last round.

Adrik was confident in winning the fight by the judge’s decision but looked visibly tired.

During a split-second of Adrik lowering his guard due to exhaustion, Tom took the chance and performed a beautiful [Imanari Roll] catching one of Adrik’s legs.

Tom held on to the leg for dear life as he transitioned into a [leg entanglement].

Adrik couldn’t get his leg free and was forced to the ground.

The referee stopped the fight as soon as Adrik tapped due to a [heel hook].

The crowd was stunned, watching Tom reverse the situation in less than a few seconds.

The announcer presented the belt to Tom as he announced the winner, and Tom thanked Future Studios and all the fans who came out and watched his first fight.

“That was an epic fight, Tom! Congratulations. You’ll be receiving bout offers left and right after that performance.” Vince said.

Price offered his congratulations to Tom before moving on to the after-party.

[Playing video games seems less exciting than fighting for real. I hope Ms. Miller’s research succeeds soon so I can experience this in deep-dive VR.] Vince pondered.

Stats last time checked:

15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)

$2 Billion in Future Tech

800+ employees (Future Studios, Hive Mind AI, ARM, BitCash, Future Security)

Five company collaborators

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings

EDITED