Walker in Modern World

Sanjay stood up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sanjay. This is John from Oracle."

Sanjay's grip on the receiver tightened. Finally.

"We've reached a final agreement—$700 million. If you're satisfied with the offer, we can proceed with the contract today."

Sanjay exhaled slowly.

"Sounds good to me."

He could barely contain his excitement. With this money, I can start building my technological empire. He had no intention of haggling further—$700 million was already a massive amount. If the technology wasn't so unique, they would never have offered such a high price.

And he was right.

Oracle was in the final stages of their software development. They didn't have time to drag out negotiations for months. The data Sanjay had presented had convinced their shareholders to approve the deal.

Of course, Oracle was going to make far more than $700 million once they launched the software. But that didn't matter to him. He had bigger plans.

Later that afternoon, Sanjay and his father arrived at the same hotel where the previous meeting had taken place.

Inside, Michael and John were already seated, along with another man—older, dressed in a crisp suit, briefcase in hand.

As soon as Sanjay walked in, the man stood up and extended his hand.

"Sanjay, I'm Ravi Kumar," he introduced himself, his grip firm. "I represent Oracle's legal team. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sanjay nodded and shook his hand, keeping his expression neutral.

Silently, he activated his interface.

IRIS was already working in the background, analyzing everything.

After exchanging greetings, he took a seat. Ravi placed the contract on the table and slid it toward him.

"Sanjay, please review the terms. The offered price remains $700 million, payable after software delivery."

With a quick glance, he saw the fine print looked more… complicated.

' Iris, can you check for any loopholes in the contract '

[ Sure host ]

Sanjay glanced at the first page, but before he could dive into it, his . Iris detected something and began to highlight certain clauses with red.

[ Loopholes detected.]

Iris voice whispered in his ear, its tone calm and measured:

[Clause 12a. 'In the event of post-sale bug fixes, Sanjay will be responsible for resolving critical bugs for a period of up to one year from the date of the transaction.' ]

[This clause implies you will be contractually bound to provide support for bugs within the first year.]

Sanjay frowned. He had never agreed to continue working on the software after the sale. He wanted nothing to do with it once the deal was done. But the clause was right there, in black and white. He quickly skimmed through the rest of the document, only to find more terms that seemed to trap him in responsibilities he hadn't discussed with Oracle.

[Clause 14b. 'Sanjay will remain available for troubleshooting and client support for up to 60 days following the software's deployment.]

Iris continued, highlighting another section.

[Additionally, Clause 18: 'Sanjay shall provide any necessary updates or patches to ensure the software remains compliant with new regulatory standards during the first 18 months after the sale.']

Sanjay sat back, his heart racing. This wasn't what he had expected. He had thought the deal was straightforward—get the money, walk away. But now, it seemed like Oracle was sneaking in clauses that would tie him to the software long after it was sold.

Ravi, noticing Sanjay's discomfort, added, "It's just a formality, really. These clauses are standard procedure. You'll only need to deal with them if something goes wrong with the software."

Sanjay's stomach churned. "But we didn't discuss these terms. I'm not going to be involved with the software once the deal is closed. I'm selling it completely."

John leaned forward, his expression serious. "We're aware of that, but it's just a precautionary measure. We're not expecting you to do anything major, just the occasional bug fix or small updates. It's a standard thing for deals like this."

Iris whispered again, [Host, this is a clear loophole. You should renegotiate this clause. It suggests you will have obligations that were not discussed.]

The tension in the room was palpable. Sanjay could feel the weight of the moment. He knew he had to act quickly, but he couldn't risk jeopardizing the deal.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice steady but firm. "I understand your concerns, but I want these clauses removed. I won't be responsible for any fixes, updates, or support after the sale. This needs to be a clean break."

Ravi glanced at John, who gave a subtle nod. The air seemed to shift slightly as Ravi took a deep breath and set his pen to paper. "Understood. Let's modify those clauses, then. We'll remove the responsibility for future support and updates."

He began crossing out sections of the contract with swift, deliberate strokes. "We'll also add a stipulation that once the software is sold, you have no further involvement."

Sanjay watched, his tension easing just a bit as Ravi worked. His Iris, ever vigilant, scanned the document once more. After a moment, it confirmed the changes had sealed the loopholes.

Ravi looked up, his expression one of quiet satisfaction. "There we go. Everything's in order now. Shall we proceed with the signing?"

Sanjay felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he nodded, relief flooding through him. "Yes, let's proceed."

He signed the documents with a steady hand, and then, in turn, John and Michael added their signatures. A collective breath of relief filled the room. For John and Michael, it had been one of the hardest deals to crack.

They hadn't expected a 16-year-old to negotiate so skillfully, let alone secure a deal that ensured he'd walk away with $700 million, free from future obligations.

As for Sanjay, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude toward Iris. Without her, he might have been bound by those clauses, wasting years of his life on support and updates. Now, he was free. The technology would quickly become outdated in the next couple of years anyway—especially with the advancements he had access to, thanks to Iris's database.

After shaking hands, Sanjay handed them a USB flash drive containing the information. Michael took it, nodding in agreement. "We'll complete the transfer within a week, as per the contract."

Sanjay couldn't suppress a small smile. The money was substantial, and yet, his father had no idea what had just transpired. It wasn't until later, when he sat down with his parents at home, that he shared the news.

"I sold the software," he said casually, watching their eyes widen. "We're going to earn almost 10 billion rupees."

The shock on their faces was priceless. They had no concept of how much money that truly was. Slowly, as the reality of it sank in, they began to realize just how much their lives were about to change.

Sanjay also shared his plans for the future—he wanted to start a technology company. His parents, though proud, were cautious. They insisted he keep up with his studies and not spend all the money at once.

Sanjay nodded, though he kept the truth to himself. "Of course," he said, but in reality, the figure was closer to 30 billion rupees in Indian currency. And that money would be used for far more than just building a company.

His parents, content with the idea, agreed to buy a house. They already owned a plot of land, so it made sense to build there. His father, excited by the prospect, wasted no time in meeting with a contractor they knew.

Meanwhile, Sanjay found himself in his room, thinking ahead. He was eager to release at least one software, something that could generate passive income without drawing too much attention to himself.

"Iris, can you suggest some software we could develop with technology not exceeding 100 years in this world?"

He didn't want something too advanced, something that might put him on the radar.

[Affirmative:

Global Real-Time Translation: Instant translation of spoken and written language for seamless communication worldwide.

AI-Powered Personal Assistant: A smart assistant that learns user preferences and handles tasks, improving productivity.

Virtual Reality Social Network: A fully immersive platform that combines meetings, entertainment, and networking in VR.

File Compression Software: A tool that highly compresses files without data loss, making storage and sharing more efficient.]

Sanjay pondered the options. "Real-time translation could be useful... The personal assistant might be too much, too soon. Virtual reality seems a bit too ambitious right now. File compression software, though—now that could work."

He mulled it over. With technology from 2003, I could try real-time translation and file compression software. Both seem manageable.

"Let's go with the file compression software," he decided, his voice quiet but resolute.

"Iris, can you pull up any information on file compression technology from around the year 2100 in the future world database?"

Iris's response was swift, showing him a list of the most advanced file compression software available at that time.

"Can you build any of these?" Sanjay asked, still processing the incredible capabilities Iris had shown.