From Blaine's experience that day, he decided it was worth it. When he upgraded the Hunter System to version 2.0, the cost had been steep—but maybe the system had realized its earlier shortcomings and raised the price of the new Hunter Space accordingly. Either way, Hunter System 2.0 proved to be worth every credit.

Every product now came with a clearly marked price, detailed instructions for use, and even a note about its place of manufacture, which genuinely surprised Blaine. Each function had real practical value. Take the one-click shielding and automatic screening features—compared to the old system, they were revolutionary.

But the most impressive upgrade was the new artificial intelligence. It made everything so much easier. Before, Blaine had to manually search for the items he wanted one by one. Now, he could simply instruct the system to find them for him—and even set parameters for the search. It was dozens of times faster. If the old system ran like 2G, this one was more like 6G—or even 7G—blazing fast.

There was also a new virtual experience mode so realistic that it perfectly simulated touch, sound, and even smell. It felt like stepping into a living dream. No wonder Tony kept upgrading J.A.R.V.I.S.—it made perfect sense now.

In the past, when Blaine faced life-threatening danger, the system had been a small comfort; he could buy life-saving supplies at any time. But only he knew the truth—would his enemies really give him time to open the system store mid-battle? Of course not. But now things were different. Even during combat, he could order the system to run a background scan and automatically select the most suitable items for him. It saved precious seconds—and might save his life.

"All in all, the magic of Hunter System 2.0 has only just begun," Blaine said, smiling as he drifted to sleep, full of anticipation for what the upgraded Hunter Space would bring.

The season had shifted to late winter, edging into early spring.

Though winter was fading, the weather across the United States remained unpredictable. Snow still lingered on the ground, even as the air had softened—the piercing chill replaced by the gentle brush of a spring breeze.

Morning came early, the sunlight bright and unfiltered. There was no fog, just the sharp gleam of sunlight streaming through the curtains.

"Ahhh... huh? Something's pressing on me…"

Blaine groaned and yawned, blinking against the glare. But something felt off. Was it another ambush by those Hand ninjas again?

"Ah, what are you doing? It's too early—I want to sleep a little longer."

A soft voice broke the silence, making Blaine jolt upright.

"Damn it—Gali? When did you come back?"

"Last night…"

Blaine froze. Gali—the girl who'd been gone for so long—was lying sprawled across him. No wonder the "something pressing on me" had felt so familiar. She still had the same habit: sleeping on top of him like always.

Last night, when he'd felt that sudden weight before drifting off, he'd thought it was just a dream. But with Gali's strength, sneaking into his room undetected was nothing.

She was still wearing the outfit Blaine had bought her, looking just as cute as before—unchanged in every way. Even the Planet-Maker watch he'd given her was still strapped to her wrist. Clearly, Blaine had left a lasting impression.

"Gali, what do you want to eat later?" he asked while brushing his teeth.

"I want to brush too…"

Instead of answering, Gali leaned forward toward the sink, silently asking him to brush her teeth for her as well.

"You really haven't changed," Blaine chuckled, grabbing another toothbrush and helping her.

After they finished washing up, Blaine scratched his head awkwardly. "So… what do you want to eat?"

He already knew the question was pointless. She was Galactus's daughter—she didn't exactly have human dietary restrictions.

"All of it. Whatever you have."

That was exactly what he'd expected. Blaine sighed and picked up the special line in his villa, ordering a week's worth of meals from several hotels. The staff on the other end must have thought he was insane, but he didn't care.

"Gali, how does your father even manage to fill your stomach?" Blaine asked, genuinely curious. Logically, someone like her should've been hungry all the time—yet every fifteen minutes or so, she'd just pull out a planet and snack on it like candy. That couldn't possibly be enough, could it?

"...I just ate a few galaxies," she said casually. "They were only a few dozen times bigger than your Milky Way."

If anyone else had said that, Blaine would've smacked them. But coming from Gali, he believed it completely. Still, hearing such words from a sweet-faced little girl was downright surreal.

"Only you two could have an appetite like that!" he muttered helplessly. "Eating galaxies as snacks—who else in the universe does that?"

"It doesn't really help," Gali said, shaking her head. "It just fills my stomach for a while. I'll need more soon."

"You two really have no filter," Blaine sighed. "So why did you come back this time?"

"Missed you," she said simply.

"Did you sneak out again?"

"Shh! Don't let my dad find out. He'll be mad. I just came to see you for a bit—I'll have to go back in a few days."

Gali glanced around nervously, as if expecting Galactus himself to appear out of thin air. The gesture made her look even cuter.

"By the way, Blaine," she said suddenly, tilting her head. "You seem different."

"Different how?"

"There's a circle of white light above your head. I can't see through it."

"What? Something you can't see through?"

Blaine perked up immediately. If someone of Gali's level couldn't see through him, that was saying something.

"However," she continued, "if I'm not mistaken, it might be something you Earth people call… luck."

"Uh… that's it?"

Blaine had been hoping she'd say his power had grown stronger. Instead, she just smiled, leaving him both proud and slightly disappointed.

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