The Last Sentinel

"Report: Homo sapiens have occupied Fortress Seven for three days. They have lit the beacon towers and summoned the other scattered Homo sapiens to assemble at Fortress Seven."

"Report: Mr. John Darwin is furious about the fall of Fortress Seven and demands that the Northern Defenses retake Fortress Seven as quickly as possible!"

"Report: Charles Darwin praised the Northern Line's performance in the Battle of Fortress Seven and expressed his hope that the strategy of avoiding combat would continue, avoiding engagement with Homo sapiens as much as possible, and even if a battle were to occur by accident, disengaging as soon as possible and waiting for an opportunity."

"..."

A flurry of intelligence reports poured into the Northern Federation's defense headquarters, including frontline intelligence, urgent requests from the rear, and orders and threats from the supervisory teams.

Anthony's imposing figure, like a small mountain, sat there sipping a thick, sweet, golden wine.

On the left, an elder with white beard and hair looked at the intelligence report on the table and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "My lord, perhaps we should try to stop these Homo sapiens, cut off their energy supply, turn Fortress Seven into a dead zone, and let them freeze into ice sculptures in the cold!"

Anthony didn't say anything and continued drinking his beverage.

The elder finally couldn't hold back any longer. "My lord, the letters of inquiry from Princes John and Charles have arrived. How can you continue to feign death and not respond? Even if you can feign death for a while, can you do it forever?"

At this point, Anthony slammed his teacup to the ground, his eyes blazing with fury. "Elder, tell me, how am I supposed to answer them? Prince Charlie and Prince John have completely opposite attitudes. Prince Charlie tells us to avoid war, while Prince John tells us to fight. Whatever we do, we'll be seen as traitors by one side! And now, the clan chief's fate is uncertain. No matter which prince succeeds him, my actions today will be punished by them!"

The elder said, "Anthony, my child, I can see your situation. From the perspective of a Neanderthal elder, I think it's better to stand on Prince John's side. Prince John has the royal blood of both Neanderthals and Sabitians. He is the most popular choice among the Neanderthals and the most likely successor to the throne! You should listen to John and immediately send troops to raze Fortress Seven to the ground."

Anthony said, "I am well aware of John's background and strength, but Elder, have you considered Charlie? This bastard boy, whom everyone underestimated, was initially abandoned by the chieftain in the human world, who wanted to use Homo sapiens to kill him. But unexpectedly, he grew stronger with each battle, transforming from an abandoned pawn into a powerful figure who could face off against the strongest S-class genius Sentinel of the Homo sapiens and emerge unscathed! His growth history fits the legendary setting of Neanderthal powerhouses. I see the shadow of a strongman in Charlie! I believe Charlie is more likely to become the king of Perfect City!"

The elder shook his head and said, "No, child, Charlie, he is ultimately just a bastard; he can never be king."

Anthony said, "If I become king and I suppress John, won't I be doomed?"

"Listen to me, son, now bet on John to wipe out all Homo sapiens. That's what you have to do!"

"John, what does he know? He's a prince who's never even left the City of Perfection! Charlie is a powerful figure who fought his way back from the Homo sapiens' lair on the surface world. If I don't obey the orders of a powerful figure, but instead obey the orders of a useless prince who only has bloodlines to brag about, how is that any different from courting death?"

"You, you, how dare you! How dare you humiliate Prince John like this! You—"

At that moment, a human voice rang out beside the two, "I think Lord Anthony is right! In a life-or-death situation, what determines the outcome should not be bloodline, but strength! It is clear that Prince Charlie has greater strength, so we should listen to Prince Charlie's strategy of avoiding battle."

Upon hearing this, the elder, who was in the middle of the argument, suddenly glared at Hua Xiaobai. His hunched figure was six or seven meters tall, and he brandished a heavy walking stick. He gritted his teeth and said, "When we're discussing issues, do you, a captive of Homo sapiens, have any right to speak?"

Just as the giant cane was about to fall and smash Hua Xiaobai into mincemeat.

A large hand suddenly caught the enormous cane.

It's Anthony!

Anthony gripped his cane tightly, and with a powerful shake, he shattered it with a single palm strike!

The elder was also blasted away by Anthony's attack!

"Elder, you are too tired, go back and rest!"

"Anthony, you..."

Hua Xiaobai lay under the desk, staring at the human-shaped hole left by the elder on the wall of the command post, so shocked he almost wet himself.

Wow, what terrifying power!

Thank goodness I made the right bet!

Anthony liked what I said, and he stepped in to protect me. If he hadn't, I would definitely have been smashed into mincemeat by that elder with just one blow.

Anthony clapped his hands and said calmly, "Come out, Mr. Hua, and tell me your opinion on this matter."

Hua Xiaobai crawled out from under the table, calmed himself down, and said eloquently, "From the conversation between Lord Anthony and the elder, I have a general understanding of the situation of Prince John and Prince Charles. In my opinion, what you are doing now is exactly what I wanted to say."

Anthony asked, "What am I doing now? Playing dead?"

Hua Xiaobai hurriedly waved his hand and said, "My lord, you are mistaken. What do you mean by 'playing dead'? That elder is too tactless. How can this be called playing dead? Among us Homo sapiens, this is called the 'Dragging Blade Stratagem' of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. This is the signature technique of the famous Homo sapiens martial saint Guan Yu of the Great Xia civilization. Once upon a time, the Homo sapiens martial saint Guan Yu used the Dragging Blade Stratagem to knock Huang Zhong and Huang Hansheng off their horses. Once upon a time, Sima Yi used the 'dragging' tactic to outlast the invincible Zhuge Liang at Wuzhang Plains!"

"Lord Anthony's words and actions today are as if Guan Yu, the God of War, has been reborn, and Sima Yi's schemes have possessed him!"

"Your decision was wise; it's just that the elder lacked foresight. He didn't see the deeper meaning behind your stalling tactic!"

It must be said that when it comes to flattery, there are different levels.

Hua Xiaobai's art of flattery has reached a level of consummate skill, drawing upon classical allusions and demonstrating profound understanding.

First of all, Anthony is definitely right. Boss, you did the right thing. Boss, don't doubt yourself.

Secondly, that stupid elder was ignorant, while I am a sensible person.

Third boss, keep up the good work! I can offer you a longer-term strategy! I'll be your right-hand man.

These words also hit the nail on the head regarding Anthony's thoughts.

From Anthony's perspective, when someone is hesitant and uneasy, they don't need any grand theories or lofty principles. They just want reassurance, a reassuring answer, someone who understands their perspective and considers their situation. They don't need any sense of tribal righteousness or princely authority! Those are all nonsense!

Clearly, Mr. Hua is such a person.

Anthony didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to signal Hua Xiaobai to continue.

Hua Xiaobai felt reassured. It seemed that this Anthony was easier to deal with than Brother Eighty!

Hua Xiaobai continued, "My lord, in my opinion, what we need to consider now is not taking sides, not choosing to stand with Prince Charlie or Prince John!"

Anthony asked, "So what should we consider now?"

Hua Xiaobai said decisively, "Expand our strength and improve ourselves!"

Anthony snorted, seemingly intrigued.

Hua Xiaobai continued, "Now is a rare opportunity. The Homo sapiens army is gathering at the northern defense line, and you are the commander-in-chief of the northern defense line. This is the best time for you to improve your strength. You can use the pretext of the escalating war to demand more personnel, supplies, and even power from the City of Perfection!"

Anthony lowered his body slightly, perked up his ears, and listened intently.

Hua Xiaobai said, "In my opinion, taking sides is secondary. The important thing is to improve your own strength. As long as you control enough military power, enough troops, and enough resources, you will be the guardian of Perfect City, a true powerful boss. At that time, whether Charlie or John takes the throne, they won't dare to offend you. In fact, whichever of those two princes wants to take the throne, they will have to curry favor with you! Whoever gives you more benefits will be the one you let take the throne!"

Anthony pondered, "Mr. Hua truly lives up to his reputation as a master of the Homo sapiens race. But then again, the strength of Homo sapiens is evident to both of us, and the higher-ups are aware of it too. At a time like this, we possess an overwhelming advantage over the Homo sapiens. How could we possibly obtain supplies through war?"

Hua Xiaobai said, "Indeed, the Homo sapiens are too weak now, but they're not entirely useless. That guy named Dian Wei established his hegemony and could wipe out three hundred Neanderthal warriors single-handedly. That's a fact, isn't it?"

Anthony said, "Yes, but isn't this grand event only held once every two weeks?"

Hua Xiaobai blinked and said, "This bi-weekly CD is only known to the Master, me, and the Elder. The Master and I naturally won't talk about it. As for the Elder, we'll shut that old man up! We'll then promote the Homo sapiens as powerful warriors with no CDs, just like Dian Wei. That will put pressure on the higher-ups of Perfect City. Whether it's Charlie or John, if they want the Master to continue his efforts to eradicate the Homo sapiens, they'll have to pay more!"

Anthony said, "It sounds simple, but in practice, it might not be so simple!"

Hua Xiaobai said, "If you trust me, sir, I am willing to lead troops to attack Fortress No. 7 and put on a perfect show, guaranteeing that you will receive a lot of supplies and manpower."

Anthony looked at Hua Xiaobai with a complicated expression. "But, if I do as you say, wouldn't I be betraying the Neanderthals?"

Hua Xiaobai was stunned, then said with a pained expression, "My lord, how could you evaluate yourself like that? Betrayal? Who did you betray?"

"From beginning to end, you have done everything in your power to preserve the lives of Neanderthals and the population of your race!"

"It was John! John sent you to deliver innocent Neanderthals to your deaths!"

"It's Charlie, that Neanderthal bastard. From the very beginning, he's been plotting against John. Although he claims to avoid war, he's acting out of self-interest; he wants to seize power from his brother! He doesn't care about the lives of Neanderthals at all!"

"Only you, you truly care about the lives of the Neanderthals!"

"Have you betrayed the Neanderthals?"

"No!"

"Charlie and John betrayed the Neanderthals!"

"These two good-for-nothings, consumed by selfishness and greed, are leading the Neanderthals to their doom!"

"And you, you saved the Neanderthals! You are the pride of the Neanderthals!"

After listening, Anthony's eyes hardened. "You're right, Mr. Hua. Now, you will lead a thousand-strong cavalry force to confront Fortress Seven! As for the Elder's issue regarding the Hegemony CD, don't worry, I'll make that old bastard shut up completely!"

Hua Xiaobai knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, "Hua Xiaobai is willing to shed blood and give her life for the Neanderthals, even at the cost of her life!"