Later the same day.

Anthony and his nethunter team found lists of names, bases, accounts, and all sorts of valuable information.

He then sent all their findings to Price, waiting for results at Kandahar.

[I can work with this.] Price thought before contacting General Douglas in his office at the Pentagon.

“Price, I’ve just heard of what happened from the Colonel. Future Security did very well in a tough situation.” General Douglas declared.

“Thank you for your kind words, General. I wanted to speak to you about the information we’ve uncovered from the insurgent’s base.” Price stated.

“How valuable is the information?” General Douglas asked.

He understood that Future Security was a business and wouldn’t share profitable information without compensation.

“I believe it’s enough information to turn the tide of the entire war.” Price stated confidently.

“The DOD has already paid a total of $46 billion in contracts thus far. So how much are you trying to sell this information?” General Douglas asked, a bit annoyed.

“For $10 billion, Future Security will share all the new intelligence and assist for the entire retaliatory mission’s duration.” Price offered.

“Fine. I’ll talk to the President. We have a vast military budget, but you guys are earning all of it too quickly.] General Douglas stated before Price bade farewell.

The Colonel stationed at Kandahar received the new intelligence from Price.

[Where have Future Security been all this time? They’ve been doing fantastic work here so far.] So the Colonel thought while reading the report.

Detachments from various US military branches were getting ready for the retaliation mission. Target locations provided by the new intelligence were being observed by autonomous recon drones far in the sky.

FS operators boarded FAV-1s and Chinooks to be transported to their mission locations together with US marine soldiers.

The US Army started deploying mechanized infantry units towards the designated areas, while Price oversaw the battle from Kandahar.

General Douglas granted Price command of the mission based on Future Security’s performance so far.

Thousands of US military Dragonflies swarmed key locations and sent their vital information back to command.

Thousands of insurgents training and hiding around Afghanistan were unaware of the oncoming danger they were about to face.

Special Forces and Navy Seals units were briefed regarding the new intelligence’s high-value targets and last known locations.

[Revenge can be sweet at times.] Price pondered while overseeing the upcoming battle.

Price would deploy a combined offensive consisting of 2,000 FS operators and 10,000 US military troops the same evening.

A few hours later, most of the units arrived at their mission locations and commenced Operation Quicksand.

Marine infantry assaulted cave complexes while Army infantry raided suspected insurgent buildings across Afghanistan.

The surprise battle caught all the local insurgents off guard, and most of them fought, thinking rebel reinforcements would arrive to help.

That was not the case at all, as most bases were being raided at the same time.

Navy Seals and Special Forces performed HALO jumps in the dead of night at multiple areas in Afghanistan, hunting their high-value targets like rebel leaders and bombmakers.

The US military’s pure might is unstoppable when they fight head-on against an enemy. There was no guerilla warfare to defend against in their surprise attacks.

The following day, the troops counted no deaths and few casualties among allies, while thousands of insurgents were either dead or captured.

Operation Quicksand was a huge success, thanks to Future Security’s intelligence and fast response after the Battle of Dehdadi.

SOCOM killed most of the high-value targets, and all the information left was gathered.

Price congratulated the FS operators and staff and gave them a mission bonus before contacting General Douglas regarding the operation.

“General, Operation Quicksand has concluded. The mission was a total success.” Price stated proudly.

“I didn’t expect such a flawlessly coordinated assault. The money was well spent. I’ll contact the President for further instruction. Thank you, Price.” The General replied in surprise.

From Dehdadi to Operation Quicksand, The troops fought the entire battle in a little over twenty-four hours.

In the Oval Office, DC

“General Douglas, what do you have for me today?” President Obama asked.

“Mr. President, the tides of war in Afghanistan have shifted. The recent Operation Quicksand decimated the local insurgent presence, with only a few stragglers escaping to different countries around Afghanistan.” General Douglas explained.

“Is this boon related to our new deal with Future Security?” The President asked.

“Yes. I granted Director Price command of the operation as Future Security provided the intelligence. As a result, none of our 10,000 troops were killed or injured as we caught the insurgents off-guard. In addition, the operation resulted in 5,000 insurgents in custody and 15,000 dead rebels and high-value targets,” General Douglas replied.

“That’s more than half of the active insurgents in the area. Future Security did well. We’ll have to celebrate this victory as a turning point in the war.” President Obama declared excitedly.

A civilian living in Chicago was watching the daily news while eating breakfast. He was so busy with work that geopolitical issues like foreign wars were of no interest to him.

The show was stopped abruptly while in the middle of a segment.

“Breaking news! US military forces have culled 20,000 of the 30,000 active insurgents in Afghanistan. President Obama stated during a press conference that Operation Quicksand had increased chances of US victory within a few years ten-fold.”

“It has been reported that Future Security, a subsidiary of Future Technologies, provided vital intelligence and military support, including the complete command for the entire operation.”

Video footage recorded by Dragonfly drones was released to the public as a glimpse into the war effort.

The reporter explained how the operation started, from the miraculous Battle of Dehdadi to the night operation consisting of 12,000 allied troops.

Outlets broadcasted the same news on all the major US channels and online platforms.

Users upvoted Reddit posts in r/Military to the front page, and everyone was commenting about the operation.

“Why would a teenager involve himself in a war?” one user commented.

“Does it even matter? We won, and that is what’s important!” another user replied.

The news spread from US news outlets to international news corporations like the BBC and News Corp. Foreigners were intrigued by the idea of a private corporation in helping win a war.

Price contacted Vince for an update on the offensive.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time, Price. I believe you can grow Future Security into a formidable force soon. You can keep the $10 billion as capital for Future Security.” Vince instructed.

“Thanks, Vince. I’ll use the funds wisely.” Price stated before ending the call.

Price ordered 100 more FAV-1s from Hive Mind manufacturing for $1 billion due to the effectiveness of the first ten FAV-1s Future Security used during the operation.

While ordering the FAV-1s, Price noticed a new vehicle in the Hive Mind availability list. It was a VTOL transport craft as big as a Chinook that could tow 10 tonnes of cargo like a FAV-1 or carry 55 troops called the Stingray.

The Stingray costs $25 million each, and Price decided to order 100 for a total of $2.5 billion. Price had $6.5 billion cash left from the latest defense contract and opted to save the money for further troop expansion.

Vince walked into Leah’s office at the Austin headquarters to discuss a new fund for the dead operators’ families.

“Hey, mom. Have you seen the news recently?” Vince asked.

“I’ve heard about what happened in Afghanistan. Price had done a great job working with the US military.” Leah replied.

“Two of our Future Security operators died defending the Dehdadi FOB. I was hoping you could start a fund for their families and our inevitable casualties in the future.” Vince stated.

“Yes, of course. I’ll prepare the fund as soon as possible.” Leah replied.

“Thanks. I’ll talk to Dr. Sera about our injured soldiers. See you later, mom.” Vince said before leaving her office.

Vince took his Agera SFV and security detail to Future Med Hospital down the street.

The building was large and shared the futuristic aesthetic with the headquarters and tech campus.

A young receptionist saw Vince and his security enter the main lobby.

His bodyguards entered first to secure the area before allowing the young CEO to follow.

“Mr. Dalton, what can Future Med do for you today?” the cute lady receptionist asked.

“I’d like to see Dr. Sera and injured FS operators,” Vince stated.

The receptionist manipulated her keyboard and received a reply notification a few seconds later.

“She says you can meet her at the director’s office.” the receptionist stated.

Vince thanked the receptionist as his entourage took the elevator.

“Dr. Sera, I’m glad to see you. How are the injured doing?” Vince asked in concern.

Stats last time checked:

Future Tech current valuation – $300 billion

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

$90 Billion cash in Future Tech

11,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics)

10,000+ operators under Future Security

Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner

Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)