: The Origin of the Giant Beasts?

Two weeks have passed, and the frequency of the behemoths' appearances has been increasing. Lilith is taking this opportunity to boost her popularity.

However, with the return of S-class heroes who were on missions abroad, Lilith has fewer and fewer opportunities to take action, and her popularity has been difficult to increase significantly. To date, Lilith's total number of fans across the internet is only around 2.5 million.

But Lilith was not discouraged. With her long lifespan, she could outlive all the veteran heroes and then slowly gain their fans.

As long as Lilith's reputation doesn't collapse or any scandals emerge, completing the side quest is just a matter of time.

As it happens, Lilith has no shortage of time...

Several more days passed, and almost all the S-class heroes who were on missions outside returned to the super city. They gathered at the very top of the League of Legends headquarters pyramid building, in a conference room that only S-class heroes had the authority to enter.

In the completely enclosed space, the incandescent lights overhead illuminated the faces of the sixteen heroes present. Some of them looked excited, some frowned, and most were expressionless.

In the decades since the founding of League of Legends, S-tier heroes have been given extremely difficult missions. They not only have to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the people, but also completely drive out the behemoths and return the world to humanity.

The giant beasts did not suddenly appear at a certain point in time; they have always existed on Earth and were the first life forms created by the gods themselves.

However, although the giant beasts possessed great strength, they were not very intelligent, so the gods quickly lost interest in them and banished them to the underground.

Afterwards, the gods used the giant beasts as a template to create demons, which not only possessed the power of the giant beasts but also had extraordinary intelligence.

However, the devil's cunning disgusted the gods, so the gods once again drove the devil underground and created a third group of life: humans.

Although humans do not possess the strength of giant beasts, they have inherited the wisdom of demons. They know how to please the gods, build altars, and perform sacrifices.

Thus, humanity survived.

This peace lasted until the gods grew tired of humanity and left Earth to cultivate new life on other planets.

Humanity gained freedom, but the giant beasts and demons lurking beneath the earth began to stir.

Roughly a century ago, when human space technology was just beginning to develop, the first giant beast burst out of the earth and purposefully destroyed the weapons arsenal of a certain major power. This was followed by the second and the third.

Humanity was forced to retreat under the onslaught of the behemoths, eventually huddled in the megacity, barely surviving. But now, thanks to the efforts of the S-class heroes, the passage between the underground and the surface has finally been found. As long as the passage is sealed, the behemoths can be prevented from reaching the surface.

That passage is located in the Mariana Trench...

The S-class heroes all looked at the head of the conference room, where Superman's father, dressed in a blue and white suit, sat calmly like a mountain.

Superman is not only one of the five founders of League of Legends, but also the backbone of many S-class heroes. As long as Superman gives the order, they will rush into the Mariana Trench one after another, risking their lives to sever the two worlds of the underground and the surface.

Superman's father was fully aware of this, but instead of immediately devising a battle plan, he calmly looked at the heroes and sincerely expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you all for your hard work, and for your continued sacrifices and dedication..."

After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for a few seconds.

Sixteen S-class heroes stared at Superman's father; some instinctively straightened their backs, while others couldn't help but smile.

Superman's dad ignored these changes in expression. He placed his hands on the table, folded over each other, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were having a conversation:

"I will personally lead this operation, with the goal of permanently isolating the underground and surface worlds."

According to exploration data, the target location is at a depth of over 11,000 meters, with a water pressure of 1,100 MPa, a temperature close to freezing, and signs of large-scale animal activity around the passage.

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"I will select suitable candidates from among you to enter the Mariana Trench, while the rest will remain on the surface to deal with any remaining fish."

As soon as she finished speaking, a red-haired woman sitting on the left side of the long table frowned. Her name was Yan Ji, and her ability was to control flames. Her most dazzling achievement was crossing the north and south ends of the super city in five minutes and burning two S-class behemoths with flames.

She clearly had doubts about Superman's arrangements:

"Dad, I don't understand. What do you mean by 'the rest of the people are stationed on the surface'? Didn't we rush back for this operation?"

"That's right, that's right."

A burly man with metallic skin sitting next to her also spoke. His hero codename was Iron Man; even with his entire body transformed into steel, he could still maintain normal physiological functions. He said:

"It took me three days to get back, and I absolutely will not agree to participate in the operation."

Superman's father remained silent, as if waiting for the two to finish speaking.

Seeing this, Yan Ji couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. She said:

"Dad, you need to give us an explanation! Everyone here is an exceptional expert, one in a million. We're all waiting for your answer."

"Because the Mariana Trench is more than just a battlefield."

Father Superman finally spoke, explaining:

"That is the most extreme environment known on Earth. What does an 11,000-meter water depth mean? It means that every square centimeter of your body will be subjected to more than a ton of pressure."

"Flame Princess, what can your so-called flames do in that environment? Iron Man, your body can indeed withstand water pressure, but you are still within the realm of humanity. How long can your iron lungs hold your breath?"

After these words were spoken, no one responded, and the conference room was so quiet that only the faint hum of the overhead incandescent bulbs could be heard.

Superman's father stood up, his massive frame slightly hunched, as if bearing a tremendous responsibility.

"I know, I know you all want to leave a lasting mark on history, but that's contingent on our success."

As the leader of this operation, I am responsible for the lives of each and every one of you. If I knowingly take you down into the deep sea, knowing your abilities are not suited to the environment, what difference would that be from murder?

Upon hearing this, Yan Ji opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't find any reason to refute it.

Her flames were completely useless in the face of the deep sea, a problem she had never considered.

After all, since her debut, her success has been unstoppable. With her dazzling achievements, she arrogantly believed that she was invincible. But now, reality has poured cold water on her and forced her to wake up.

Superman Daddy stopped looking at her and instead turned his gaze to everyone present. There was no blame in his eyes, only a kind of weary concern.

"I do not want to see any of you die. Rather than die meaninglessly, I would rather you witness a new world."

That's precisely why I can't let you die in vain. The megacity needs you; you are fighting too, fighting for the future of humanity.

silence.

A long silence.

In the end, Flame Princess lowered her proud head, Iron Man fell silent, and no one questioned Superman's father anymore...