Ethan mentally selected YES.
The screen flashed.
A soft hum filled his mind, like digital gears spinning.
Then—
[ Initiating Random Tech Gacha… ]
[ Rolling… ]
[ Rolling… ]
[ Result Acquired! ]
[ Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: ]
★ RAYFIELD CLAIBURN — SUPREME LUXURY HYPER-TECH VEHICLE ★
Ethan blinked.
"…A car?"
But the next information panel unfolded—and his eyes went wide.
[ Rayfield Claiburn: Description ]
• Ultra-luxury hypercar built from Crystal-Dome composite panels, a futuristic material harder than titanium yet lighter than carbon fiber.
• Completely bulletproof, explosion-resistant, and shock-absorbent.
• Zero-speed compromise: maintains maximum acceleration despite heavy armor.
**• Equipped with an Adaptive Crystal Coat—a shimmering surface layer that repairs itself and refracts light in shifting colors.
• Integrated Ultra-AI system capable of autonomous driving, combat evasive maneuvers, threat detection, and voice interaction.
• "Silent Wind" engines capable of reaching over 500 km/h without overheating.
• Interior: royal-level luxury, temperature adaptive seats, holo-dash, and full-surround comfort systems.
• Anti-tracking, anti-hacking, and complete privacy shielding.
And many more.
Ethan's jaw dropped slowly.
"…This isn't a car," he whispered to himself. "This is what happens when a Lamborghini, a spaceship, and a tank decide to have a baby."
Knowledge poured into his mind—blueprints, fabrication schematics, material breakdowns, AI code, manufacturing processes. Techniques so advanced they practically felt alien.
He suddenly knew how to build the Rayfield Claiburn from scratch.
Down to every bolt.
Down to every AI subroutine.
Down to the damn Crystal-Dome molecular structure.
It was overwhelming… yet exhilarating.
Holy crap… If this is just the first monthly gacha…
He almost wanted to laugh.
He kept perfectly still, making sure his face remained blank, pretending to rest beneath the hospital sheets.
No way was he letting S.H.I.E.L.D. see him grinning like a maniac.
Inside, though?
He was screaming inside.
Although unknown to him, he had a goofy smile on his face in the real world—completely blowing his "calm and resting" act.
And yes… he was being watched.
Hospital VIP Surveillance Room
In another high-security VIP room, three people stood in front of a large monitor showing Ethan sleeping—or pretending to—with that ridiculous grin.
"Are you sure he's fine?" Fury asked, one brow raised as he stared at the screen. "That smile looks… stupid."
Maria Hill sighed. "…Honestly, sir? I think it's normal. Maybe he's a hormonal teenager having a wet dream about the hot doctor."
Barbara Morse rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful.
"Please," Barbara muttered. "He's fine. A bit shaken, but fine. The kid's strong—stronger than most. At this moment, anyone else would be panicking. But he can still joke, even smile. So yes, one could say he has steel."
Fury exhaled deeply, staring at Ethan's face.
"All this time, I thought I didn't have any children," he said quietly. "Yet here I am… staring at one."
Maria nodded and handed him a photo she'd been holding.
"You know his mother?" she asked.
The picture showed a kind, gentle-looking woman with warm eyes.
"I remember her," Fury said softly. "I even… sometimes visit her grave."
Maria's expression remain calm as she added. "She was killed by your enemies. But none of us knew she had a child. The blood test confirms it. He is yours."
Fury's eye narrowed for a second and, then relaxed.
"…I never thought she was hiding such secret," he whispered, almost smiling. "Guess she outsmarted me one last time."
Maria cleared her throat. "What should we do now, sir?"
Fury looked back on the monitor as he sighed.
"It's better if I stay away from him," he said finally. "His mother died because of me. I won't let him share the same fate."
He turned toward them.
"Erase all traces connecting him to me. From me, from S.H.I.E.L.D., from any database that might harm him. Protect the kid—but from the shadows."
Then he handed Maria a folded piece of paper.
"And give him this."
Barbara looked at the note when Maria opened it.
"What is this, sir?" Barbara asked.
"My personal emergency fund," Fury said. "Never used it. It's one of my hidden caches—fully legal, but untraceable. Give it to the kid. Make it look like some inheritance from his mother."
Maria blinked. "Sir… this 'fund' is over a billion dollars."
Barbara shook her head in disbelief. "A secret fund worth a billion… and you never used it?"
Fury shrugged. "You never know when you might need a rainy-day billion."
"Just make sure the kid gets it," Fury said one last time, his voice low but firm—the kind of order that carried weight even after he walked away.
He and Maria Hill exited the dim corridor, their silhouettes swallowed by the sliding doors.
Barbara remained behind, staring at the encrypted fund file glowing on her tablet.
A soft exhale left her lips.
"Now… how should I give it to him?" she murmured, tapping the corner of the screen thoughtfully.
She opened Ethan's SHIELD profile—medical scans, age, background, the odd 'incident report' that didn't match any known event. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hm. He turns eighteen next month."
Her fingers drummed lightly. "Well… that's a great time to hand it over. Symbolic, clean, and legally simple." She nodded to herself, decision settling.
And so Dr. Kaelyn continued her work in the hospital. She wasn't the only one stationed there—six more Level 4 to Level 6 agents operated within the building, all of them personally loyal to Fury, not just to SHIELD.
Their single mission: make sure nothing happened to Ethan Cliff… or Ethan Fury.
Ethan Cliff was the public identity. The name Ethan Fury had never truly existed—Ethan only saw it in the fading memories of the original Ethan as he died, and from Fury saying it aloud. On paper, in every system, in every file, he was only Ethan Cliff.
Back to Ethan.
Lying on the hospital bed, he looked around the quiet room.
"Hm… I really want to get discharged soon. But to start my own car company, I need money," he muttered, wondering where he could possibly get the funds.
Well, I've got a lot of different tech in my mind. Maybe I can sell some cheap versions of them, he thought.