Chapter 285: The System Upgrades — and a "One Big Happy Family" Group Chat!
Far away in Hell's Kitchen, Ethan had no idea just how boldly Thor was currently provoking Kaito and Tsukasa.
Right then, he heard the System's notification chime.
「DING!」
「System update complete!」
「New module added: Group Chat.」
「Keep up the good work, Host.」
At the string of notifications, Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. He pulled up the System interface at once, and sure enough — alongside the familiar Gacha and Homestead tabs, a brand-new "Group Chat" tab had appeared.
Curious, he tapped it open — only to find it completely empty. No groups, nothing. Just as a flicker of disappointment set in, the System chimed again.
「Would you like to create a group chat?」
Obviously. Why else would I have clicked in here, Ethan groused internally — but his finger was already tapping "Create Group Chat" without a moment's hesitation.
An instant later, a group chat titled "One Big Happy Family" appeared, fully created. Ethan opened it and found 25 members already inside — every one of them a Family member at ★6/MAX Friendship Level.
Staring at this brand-new chat, Ethan felt a rush of anticipation. He wanted to know exactly what this feature could do.
Just then, the group started buzzing with activity. Messages began popping up one after another.
Broke, Except for the Money: "Wait, why do I suddenly have another group chat in my head? What even is this — some kind of cutting-edge VR tech? Projecting straight into my brain like this — fascinating. Give me a few days and I'll crack this thing wide open."
Little Punk: "Yo, yo, FINALLY somebody to chat with! I haven't gotten a single scene in forever! You have no idea how boring it's been out here with nobody but Mr. Broody to talk to. Wait — why's my name 'Little Punk'?! I want a name change! Call me the Great and Almighty Deadpool!"
Wing Chun: "Astonishing. I never thought I'd see anything again in this lifetime!"
Poor Man's Batman: "Right? I can actually see something too! Just an interface, sure, but it's the first light I've laid eyes on in ages!"
Don't Kill My Dog: "I've already guessed who you all are. There's only one person on Earth who could've built something like this — my boss, Ethan."
Trying to Be Better: "Master Ethan really is amazing. Another brand-new invention already!"
Ethan rubbed the bridge of his nose, scanning the names. He could already guess who each one belonged to.
Broke, Except for the Money had to be Tony. Little Punk could only be that shameless mouth Deadpool. Wing Chun went without saying — who else but Master Ip.
From the conversation, Ethan also gathered they couldn't change their own display names — which meant these nicknames were simply pulled straight from his own private mental impressions of each of them.
After all, names like "Wing Chun," "Little Punk," and "Don't Kill My Dog" were all jokes from his past life. Nobody else on Earth could possibly have come up with them.
Watching the questions keep flooding in, Ethan went to log in under his real name — only to discover the System had already locked his display name for him.
Come Be My Family: "Everyone relax. This is a new feature I just built. Everyone in here is someone I've personally recognized in my heart as Family."
Ethan stared at his own username, brow furrowing.
System. You're doing this to me on purpose, he thought sourly. Great, now I'm basically the neighborhood's own white-bearded guy — except instead of collecting sons, I'm apparently collecting family.
The instant he hit send, the entire chat went dead silent. A few seconds later —
Little Punk: "HAHAHAHAHAHA Ethan your username is KILLING me!"
Seeing Deadpool's message, Ethan mentally asked the System: Can I mute people in here?
"Tap a user's avatar to mute them," the System replied helpfully.
Ethan wasted no time muting Deadpool.
A group notice popped up for everyone to see:
"Little Punk has been muted for 10 minutes."
Mayor of the Big Apple: "Don't mind him, kid. You're family to us — knew all that soft spot I had for you wasn't wasted."
Marvel's Most Beautiful Woman: "You dare laugh at Ethan? You want a beating, Wade! I can't believe I'm apparently already family in his eyes — and the most beautiful woman on top of it."
Mrs. Fisk: "Wanda, we've thought of you as family for ages already!"
Broke, Except for the Money: "Hold on — what does 'Marvel' even mean here? Is that what we call our world for short? Interesting. Also, why are there so few people in this group?"
Bratty Spider-Man: "Wait, up there — Mr. Stark? ...I didn't expect to see you in here too. It's been forever since I dropped by."
Broke, Except for the Money: "Who are you — Peter? Didn't we just see each other a few days ago?"
Trying to Be Better: "Sir, the one you're thinking of might be me."
Next Time I'll Hug You Tight: "And me, too."
Broke, Except for the Money: "Ah, I see — kid, the me you know probably isn't me. And for the record, I hate bratty kids. So, how's the other-universe version of me doing? How come I've never run into you in Hell's Kitchen?"
Bratty Spider-Man: "Mr. Stark, ever since you had Morgan, you've barely had time for me anymore."
Broke, Except for the Money: "Who's Morgan? Some other-universe version of me's romantic partner? Good-looking, at least? Here I thought I'd end up with Pepper for good. Guess the other-me's taste isn't all that great after all."
Bratty Spider-Man: "Morgan's your daughter, Mr. Stark. Her full name is Morgan Stark — yours and Ms. Potts's."
Doc Ock: "Congratulations, congratulations! Never expected Mr. Stark to end up with a daughter."
I Just Want to Meet My Daughter: "Must be nice. If only I'd had enough money back then, my daughter wouldn't have died."
Tony stared at the screen, barely able to believe what he was reading.
He'd only been idly poking around out of curiosity about some other-universe version of himself — and instead had stumbled onto news this earth-shattering.
The thought of some future version of himself having a daughter — a sweet, adorable little girl — sent a wave of emotion crashing through him he couldn't quite name.
I'm going to be a father. The thought kept circling in his head, equal parts thrilling and terrifying.
"Sir, sir — I'm detecting a sharp spike in your heart rate. Shall I call your family physician?" JARVIS chimed in suddenly.
Tony snapped back to the present. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his nerves.
"No need, JARVIS," he answered. "I'm just a little worked up, that's all. Actually — get me in touch with the best jewelry company you can find, and look into which baby-products company is the finest on the market. I'm buying them out. All of it."
Tony had already made up his mind: his future daughter would have nothing but the very best.
She'd grow up wrapped in love and care, the happiest child in the entire world. He was already looking forward to that future with everything in him.
Ethan, naturally, saw the whole exchange play out on-screen too. He shook his head with a laugh, unable to believe Tony had found out he had a daughter this way of all ways.
He'd actually been planning to break the news to Tony himself, eventually.
Just as the group chat settled into a warm, chaotic little glow — a message popped up that didn't fit the mood at all.
Not the God of Thunder: "Ethan. Help me."
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