The water shuddered like an earthquake under the trench. Lin's dorsal plates glowed an intense sapphire as power built inside his chest. Across from him, the juvenile M.U.T.O. unfolded its wings like a crimson curtain, its claws splitting the silt with ease.
> [Skill Active: Energy Pulse – Charging…]
This is it, Lin thought. If this doesn't work, I'm dead.
The M.U.T.O. lunged with a screech that made the trench walls crumble. Lin ducked low, his tail whipping upward, and released the built-up power.
A shockwave of blue energy erupted from his body, blasting the water back like a hurricane. The M.U.T.O. shrieked as the wave slammed into its chest, knocking it off balance and scorching its membranes.
> [Critical Impact – Enemy Stunned for 3 seconds.]
Lin didn't waste time. He surged forward using Water Surge, claws glowing faintly from the residual energy, and raked them across the creature's wing joint. Flesh tore; dark ichor bled into the water.
The M.U.T.O. thrashed violently, its massive tail smashing into Lin's side. Pain flared white-hot, but his new body held. He latched onto its limb with his jaws, biting down until bone cracked.
> [Enemy Health Reduced: 40%.]
But the M.U.T.O. wasn't finished. Its wing membranes glowed faintly, siphoning some kind of energy from the trench's currents. With a hiss, it discharged an electromagnetic pulse that made Lin's vision flicker.
> [Warning: Temporary System Disruption.]
"No…" Lin growled in his guttural voice. "Not yet!"
He channeled another Energy Pulse, this time focusing it through his dorsal plates. They glowed white-blue. The water around him steamed.
The M.U.T.O. lunged again, claws outstretched — and Lin released the pulse point-blank.
A column of blue light ripped through the trench, sending the M.U.T.O. hurtling backward into a rock wall. The cavern cracked, opening a hole into an even deeper abyss.
For a moment, silence reigned. Lin floated, chest heaving, water shimmering from residual energy.
> [Quest Complete: Survive or Escape Juvenile M.U.T.O.]
[Reward Gained: Titan Instincts (Passive).]
---
[New Skill: Titan Instincts (Passive)]
Heightened senses of apex predators. Increases reaction speed, perception, and danger detection. Allows recognition of Titan-class signatures at long distances.
---
Lin swam closer to the broken M.U.T.O., ready to finish it off — but the creature twitched, its wounds glowing faintly as if something beyond biology was knitting it together. It let out a low, hateful hiss and slithered backward through the breach in the trench, retreating into the black.
Lin's dorsal plates dimmed. His chest still burned from the energy pulse. It ran… but it'll be back. Stronger.
> [Evolution Points Gained: 160.]
He pulled up the menu in his mind. Several new options flickered — "Adaptive Scales," "Enhanced Tail Strike," even a mysterious "Atomic Resonance" locked behind a warning icon.
But before he could choose, something else happened. His new Titan Instincts flared like a siren. A signature — massive, ancient, and familiar — was moving far above him.
A slow, rumbling call rolled through the water. Deep. Powerful. It made every muscle in Lin's body tighten in awe and fear.
Godzilla.
---
Far above, the surface of the ocean boiled as a submarine glided silently. Inside, a group of humans sat in a dark control room lined with monitors. The logo on their uniforms read: Project Aegis.
"Sir," a young technician whispered, eyes wide as he studied the sonar screen. "We've detected a new signature… smaller than the Titans but growing fast. It's not one of ours."
The older man in the center, wearing a faded MONARCH badge, leaned forward. "Show me."
The screen flickered with a blue dot, pulsing at the edge of a deep trench. Another, much larger signature pulsed faintly far away — the unmistakable outline of Godzilla moving toward it.
"That's impossible," the man muttered. "No hatchling should have that energy output…"
He turned to his team. "Lock onto it. We're going to watch this one closely."
---
Below, Lin's eyes narrowed. His dorsal plates flickered weakly, sensing the leviathan approaching from the far-off currents. The water carried a presence so heavy it felt like a storm pressing down.
The king of monsters was coming.
And Lin realized with a cold shiver that his fight with the M.U.T.O. might have been nothing more than a test.
---
To be continued…
⚡️ Next Chapter Teaser:
As Godzilla draws nearer, Lin's system offers him an evolution path unlike any other — one that could make him a rival… or a heir. Meanwhile, the humans of Project Aegis debate capturing the hatchling before it becomes unstoppable.