The trench had gone eerily silent. No movement. No currents. Even the smallest fish had vanished, fleeing to cracks in the rock.
Lin hovered near the cavern mouth, dorsal plates dimming. His Titan Instincts screamed louder than they ever had before — not just a warning, but a command: stay low, stay silent.
Far above, the ocean churned like a thunderstorm.
A deep, rolling bellow echoed through the depths — not a screech like the M.U.T.O., but something older, heavier. The sound vibrated through Lin's bones, rattling his new scales.
He knew that call.
Godzilla.
---
On the surface, Project Aegis's submarine tracked the seismic ripples on their sonar screen. Blue waves rolled outward from a moving dot — the unmistakable Titan signature.
"Contact in sixty seconds," the technician said, voice trembling. "This is it."
Dr. Keller, the grizzled MONARCH veteran, gripped the edge of the console. "Do not engage. Observe only. If we fire on him, we won't get a second chance."
"But the hatchling—"
"—isn't our concern yet," Keller snapped. "Godzilla's coming to it. We're about to see history."
He glanced at the feed from a deep-sea drone. In the grainy green footage, something enormous moved below the waves. Jagged dorsal fins, each the size of skyscrapers, sliced through the gloom.
"God help us all," Keller whispered.
---
Below, Lin's dorsal plates flickered faintly. The water ahead bulged and then parted as a colossal silhouette emerged from the black.
Godzilla's eyes glowed like molten fire, piercing the darkness. His vast body moved with terrifying grace, each movement displacing tons of water. His dorsal fins glowed faintly blue, sending shimmering patterns across the cavern walls.
Lin felt small for the first time since his rebirth — a hatchling before a god.
The system's voice chimed softly in his mind:
> [Warning: Titan-Class Entity Detected.]
[Threat Level: Overwhelming.]
[New Evolution Path Available.]
A new menu flickered into existence.
---
[Evolution Path Unlocked: Apex Heir]
> Integrate with Titan Instincts to become a direct heir of the Apex Predator. Gain unique atomic-based abilities, but risk drawing the King's wrath.
[Alternate Path: Abyssal Rival]
> Develop independently as a rival apex predator. Gain greater independence and speed of evolution, but lose potential harmony with Titan hierarchy.
---
Lin's claws flexed. His mind raced. Heir… or rival?
Godzilla's massive head tilted slightly, one glowing eye focusing directly on him. The King of Monsters did not attack. He simply watched, his presence alone heavier than the ocean around them.
Lin's system chimed again.
> [Choice Required. Time Limit: 30 seconds.]
He stared at the flickering options, his heart pounding. The water vibrated as Godzilla let out a low, rumbling growl — not a threat, but a sound like a question.
Then everything changed.
A bright flare of light erupted above as a barrage of sonar pulses and tranquilizer charges streaked down from the submarine. Project Aegis had launched their first "contact" attempt.
The pulses rippled across the trench like thunder. Godzilla's dorsal fins snapped to full glow, his head rising with a slow, menacing motion. His tail lashed once, the current slamming Lin against the rock.
> [Warning: Human Activity Detected. Titan Hostile State Rising.]
Lin's menu still blinked.
Apex Heir.
Abyssal Rival.
Godzilla's massive form began to move, rising toward the surface, blue light building in his dorsal fins.
Lin had seconds to decide.
---
To be continued…
⚡️ Next Chapter Teaser:
As Godzilla retaliates against the humans, Lin must make his evolution choice mid-chaos. Will he align himself with the King… or become the ocean's next rival? And Project Aegis, realizing what they've unleashed, scrambles to decide whether to capture Lin before he becomes unstoppable.