My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible Chapter 468 Friends' Drama (2)

The group chat had plunged into a state of organized pandemonium, triggered entirely by Liam's revelation that caught his friends off guard.

Messages poured in one after another at breakneck speed, clashing and cutting into each other in a manner that outsiders might find baffling, yet it clicked seamlessly for the eight long-time companions who could juggle multiple threads at once.

Kristopher: Since when does the Lucid have phone capabilities?

Harper: I thought it was just for gaming

Alex: Wait are you saying the device can make calls?

Stacy: Can we text from it?

Kristy: What about apps?

Lana: This is huge

Elise: How does that even work?

Liam observed the influx of messages, his grin growing broader. They were reacting precisely as he'd anticipated—diving headfirst into guesses without the full scoop from him. It was charming, really.

Liam: You'll have to wait and find out.

Matt: LIAM!

Matt: You can't just drop that and then say wait

Matt: That's cruel

Kristopher: He's right

Kristopher: That's genuinely cruel

Alex: Unusually cruel actually

Liam burst into laughter right there, the noise bouncing around his vacant bedroom. They had a point. Still, he wasn't prepared to dive into the complete extent of the phone features just yet, both to let them discover it hands-on and because he relished seeing their minds race with the possibilities live.

Liam: All you need to know right now is that you'll be able to do everything you can do on your current phones. And more.

Liam: The daily gaming restrictions still apply. But those only apply to gaming. The phone functions are unrestricted.

A short lull followed as they digested those words. Then:

Harper: Everything we can do on our phones

Harper: That's messaging, calls, photos, videos, apps, browsing

Harper: All of that?

Liam: Yes.

Stacy: And MORE?

Stacy: What's the more?

Liam: You'll see.

Stacy: You're killing me

Stacy: Actually killing me

Kristopher: Can we take pictures and videos with the Lucid?

Kristopher: And if so, what's the quality?

It was a reasonable inquiry, one Liam had foreseen. Kristopher always focused on the nuts-and-bolts specs while the rest got swept away by the thrill of what could be.

Liam: Yes. The quality will be 16K.

The chat fell quiet for about three seconds. Then it erupted once more.

Matt: 16K

Matt: SIXTEEN K

Matt: Liam that's INSANE

Alex: Current flagship phones top out at like 8K and even that's only for specific models

Alex: You're saying the Lucid will do double that?

Stacy: The camera companies are going to have a collective breakdown

Kristopher: 16K video recording too or just photos?

Liam: Both.

Harper: Oh my god

Kristy: I don't even have a screen that can display 16K

Kristy: Nobody does

Liam: The Lucid does.

Another hush settled in, extending further this time, while they grappled with the ramifications of his disclosure. Liam pictured them glued to their phones, eyeing their everyday gadgets, struggling to align familiar tech with his bold descriptions.

Matt: If Nova Technologies announces the phone function publicly and gives these details, the valuation of phone companies is going to crater 😂

Matt: Like actually just collapse

Matt: Who's going to buy a $1,200 phone that takes 8K photos when the Lucid takes 16K photos and also does literally everything else better?

Liam pondered that briefly. Matt hit the nail on the head. The global smartphone industry hovered around a trillion dollars, with top-tier players ruling through superior cameras, blazing processors, and flawless ecosystems.

The Lucid would render it all obsolete.

Yet, unlike the instant upheaval in health and entertainment sectors, the smartphone shake-up could be paced strategically. No pressing crisis demanded instant smartphone swaps. Folks weren't perishing over lacking 16K cams.

That offered him leeway.

Liam: The public release of the phone function is still a long way out. It might come before the Medical Nanites rollout, might come after. I haven't decided yet.

Stacy: I'm sure those two phone companies that keep competing over who has the best camera are going to be under extreme pressure soon 😂

Stacy: All that marketing about "professional-grade photography" and "cinema-quality video"

Stacy: And then Nova Technologies shows up with 16K like it's nothing

Alex: The future pre-order events are about to get even more intense

Alex: Every month there's going to be more reasons people desperately want a Lucid

Alex: First it was gaming

Alex: Then it was the Air's connectivity

Alex: Then Studio for content creation

Alex: Then Medical Nanites for healthcare

Alex: Now phone functionality

Alex: How are people supposed to choose which reason matters most when they're trying to get a device?

Kristopher: That's actually the point though isn't it

Kristopher: The more capabilities the Lucid has, the more universally essential it becomes

Kristopher: It stops being a luxury gaming device and becomes fundamental infrastructure for participating in modern life

Liam scanned Kristopher's words twice. Spot on, and Kristopher had phrased it with striking clarity. The Lucid transcended mere gadget status. It evolved into a foundation—a portal to features that would permeate every corner of routine life.

Gaming. Communication. Content creation. Healthcare. Plus un revealed extras.

Each fresh capability didn't merely enhance value. It transformed the device's essence.

Kristopher: What I'm actually worried about is the criteria for Medical Nanites rollout

Kristopher: Right now access is limited by Lucid device availability

Kristopher: Are you planning to increase the monthly stock in the future?

Kristopher: And are you going to share devices specifically for people who need nanites but can't win the regular lottery?

Liam hesitated before replying. This posed a tougher challenge than the tech queries, one he'd mulled over deeply since crafting the nanite access system.

The clash of limited supply against dire necessity loomed large. Folks would perish in queues for life-saving tech. Not a what-if. Pure math: 10,000 units monthly equaled 120,000 yearly, leaving millions in need waiting years, with some never making it.

Rapid market saturation bred its own headaches. Logistical strains. Support overloads. Quality slips. Worst, it erased the rarity fueling economic viability and tactical oversight.

Liam: It's a solid idea. I won't be doing it immediately, but after the second month of Medical Nanites rollout, I'll be making some changes. By then there will be more than 100,000 users in the ecosystem, and the infrastructure will be more stable.

Kristopher: That makes sense

Kristopher: I'm really impressed with what you're doing

Kristopher: Not just the technology

Kristopher: But the way you're thinking about deployment and access

Kristopher: It's not easy balancing innovation with responsibility

Kristopher: And you're doing it better than most people would

Responses from the others followed swiftly, echoing the sentiment.

Matt: We're always here to support you man

Harper: Whatever you need

Stacy: You know we've got your back

Alex: Obviously

Kristy: Always

Lana: Of course

Elise: Yeah

A surge of warmth filled Liam's chest once more, that distinct sensation from friends who saw him plainly as Liam, beyond the Nova Technologies title or world-altering role—just a true buddy.

Liam: Thanks. I appreciate it.

Liam: Actually, I should mention—I'm planning to reduce the clinical trial timeline from 90 days to 60 days.

Silence hung for a moment. Then:

Kristy: Liam

Kristy: You should just say you want to give people in power even more sleepless nights 😂

Matt: He doesn't even want to give them time to breathe

Stacy: Government officials are going to see that announcement and just start crying

Harper: Can you imagine being a regulatory official right now?

Harper: You see the announcement about Medical Nanites

Harper: You spend a month trying to figure out how to respond

Harper: And then the timeline gets compressed by another month

Harper: I'd quit

Alex: They probably can't quit

Alex: This is too big

Alex: They're stuck dealing with it whether they want to or not

Kristopher: The announcement is going to be chaos

Kristopher: Social media is still processing the original 90-day timeline

Kristopher: Reducing it to 60 is going to restart all the reactions

Liam fired off a string of laughing emojis.

Liam: It's not really my fault that governments move slowly 😂

Liam: If they can't adapt to accelerated timelines, that's a them problem

Matt: Brutal. How could you say that they have skill issue?!

Matt: I think he's trying to say that they are the skill issue

Matt: Even more brutal

Liam: Anyway, Lucy will activate the phone function for your devices soon. You'll get a notification when it's ready.

Kristopher: How soon is soon?

Liam: Within the next few hours probably

Stacy: I'm going to be checking my Lucid every five minutes now

Kristy: Same

Matt: Honestly same

The discussion rolled on, seamlessly shifting to guesses about their plans once the phone features kicked in.

Matt dove straight into schemes for shooting all in 16K and ditching his old phone forever. Alex probed if the Lucid could swap in for his laptop at work. Elise pondered social posts she'd craft with such camera prowess.

Liam allowed the chatter to flow, chiming in now and then for details or affirmations, but largely soaking in the exchange. He remained lounging in bed, back against cushions, phone clutched, with morning rays filtering through the glass and nothing pressing for his focus.

It felt serene, a tranquility growing scarcer by the day.

Harper: Question

Harper: If the Lucid can do everything a phone can do

Harper: And it can do everything a computer can do with the right peripherals

Harper: And it can create professional content with Studio

Harper: And it provides medical monitoring with nanites

Harper: What CAN'T it do?

Liam mulled it over briefly. Truthfully, the Lucid's bounds were mostly self-imposed—choices he'd made for calculated strategy, not hard limits.

Liam: Not much. But there are things I'm holding back for later releases.

Alex: Like what?

Liam: You'll see.

Matt: "You'll see" is becoming your catchphrase

Matt: And I kind of hate it

Matt: But also respect it

Liam grinned down at his screen.

Liam: Good.

The chat persisted another twenty minutes, meandering across subjects—from phone feature buzz, to quips about officials' insomnia, queries on clinical trial volunteer reveals, and then aimless banter.

At last, Liam placed his phone aside and stretched out. Time to rise, freshen up, tackle the stack of tasks awaiting him. Yet lingering felt rewarding, wrapped in ordinary friend talk on a regular morning, as if the prior night's civilization-shifting reveal hadn't happened.

He finally rose from bed and headed to the bathroom for his bath, then descended for brunch.