If anyone had decided to pass near the South Sea that day, they would have witnessed an unprecedented sight. The sea water had turned red, so dark that you couldn't look under it. Thousands of corpses of huge ships lay in the water; most of them were submerged, but some protruded from the ocean since the seabed was so covered with wrecks that it was impossible to descend further. Fish and other sea creatures moved frantically through that graveyard of ships, devouring the remains of all the humans who had been aboard. And out of the water some aquatic dinosaurs wandered among the remains of the ships not yet submerged, looking for any survivors.

That place would in the future be remembered as the Naval Cemetery and would become a historical place. A monument would have been erected on the nearby cliff, consisting of dozens of tombstones bearing the names of all the soldiers who died that day, or at least those whose identity was known. Treasure hunters would often venture among destroyed ships, looking for any valuables; and even after a century the tide would occasionally carry bleached skulls and bones to nearby beaches.

Sobek was perched on the highest cliff, staring at the graveyard. Anyone who looked at him at that moment would have had the impression of a monstrous dragon who admired his work from a mountain after burning a village. Completely covered in his [Personal armor] and with his [Personal weapon] embedded in the ground in front of him in the form of a katana, he almost looked like a samurai resting after a gruesome battle.

'Gas weapons, napalm, thermobaric missiles… in just one year since the world learned of me, these weapons have made their appearance' he was thinking apprehensively. 'At this point I can no longer delude myself. If humans can convert their current technology into war devices that quickly, then it won't be long before they invent the nuclear bomb'

For a moment he seriously considered the idea of changing the plan, of immediately carrying out an invasion of the human world, but he repressed that thought. "No… if we invade humans, I have no choice but to rule with terror. This is not the world I want to create. I have to stick to the plan. The great pacifists of history have never allowed their minds to give in to fear. Gandhi, Jesus, Herzl… all of them had the whole world against, but they resisted. I don't have to overcome fear and have faith in the future. Old Li is right, if I lose faith in the future then I have already lost this war"

Sobek gritted his teeth. The terrifying image of the mushroom cloud continued to appear in his mind, but he ignored it. He had to stay calm.

A slight rustle was heard behind him. He barely moved his gaze to see Carnopo. "Have you finished?" he just asked.

The carnotaur nodded. "We have successfully eliminated all survivors. However, we keep open the possibility that there may still be some. To be safe, Apache is flying over the sky and Monica and her underlings are looking ashore. Mazu in turn is patrolling the waters to check that no boats or submarines have escaped us"

"Buck?"

"He woke up. He is a bit dazed but he's fine. He would have come personally, but we told him that you ordered him to rest"

Sobek snorted. He knew Buck had never been in danger of life, it was impossible with [Regeneration], but now still relieved that he had recovered. "Have you finished the count?"

Carnopo seemed to bite his tongue. "Yes"

"How many have we lost?"

"The assault legion and the navy were obviously the ones that suffered the most losses. There is talk of two thousand one hundred two warriors for the assault legion and eight hundred and thirty-five for the navy. The rest of the wards were luckier. The army lost three hundred and six warriors and the air force two hundred and twelve. The defense commanded by Pierce suffered only three casualties. In total, the number of deaths is..."

"Three thousand four hundred and fifty eight. I can do the math, Carnopo" Sobek growled as his claws sank into the hard rock of the cliff. Without realizing it he dug three long lines in the stone.

The carnotaur sighed. "Pack leader, you have defeated an army of six million soldiers with not even three thousand five hundred casualties. Any other commander would have lost hundreds of thousands of warriors at the very least. You have nothing to reproach yourself"

Sobek snorted but said nothing. He didn't want to hear anyone tell him again that it was impossible to end the battle differently. He had already thought of Old Li to lecture him. "Are the injured all okay?"

"Obviously. With the regenerative power in your possession they have all recovered. However, some have been… traumatized by that strange flammable liquid" Carnopo replied. "I recommend that you remove these elements from the army and entrust them to the care of Al and his group of healers"

The idea made sense. "Yeah, I'll probably do that" Sobek said, then lifted his body. "Okay, you can go now. Order your warriors to stop looking for survivors and return to our main outpost. I will warn Mazu, Monica and Apache to do the same"

"Won't it be dangerous to let them go?"

"If these survivors really existed, they cannot be more than a few hundred, and what's more, they are divided and disorganized. Leaving them in the forest is practically a death sentence. And even if they manage to get away with it, without weapons they cannot pose a danger to any of us" Sobek replied. "Let them go. We have already shed enough blood for today. Let heaven decide the fate of those people"

"As you wish"

Carnopo teleported away. Sobek contacted Apache, Monica and Mazu via the mind-sharing skill and ordered them to abandon any war operation and immediately turn back. None of them objected; even if they didn't show it, everyone was tired after that terrible battle. After that he also contacted Blue. In a split second the velociraptor was beside him. [Teleportation] was indeed a useful skill. "Should we start, pack leader?" she asked.

"Yes. Film me. It is time for the world to know what happens to those who turn against us!" Sobek exclaimed, rising in all his grandeur. Blue moved a few meters away and climbed a tree to get a better picture. After that she turned on her usual cell phone and started taking it back.

Sobek stared at the camera, then he started talking. "This message is addressed to all humans who foolishly thought war was a good option. I appeal to all the warmongers, all the cowards unable to accept change, all those slimy snakes who have sent other people to die to protect their interests. Well, look at the result of your madness!"

Sobek moved to allow Blue to frame the blood-tinged sea behind him. He was silent for a moment, so that anyone who had seen the video could have a good look at the destroyed ships, the thousands of abandoned shipwrecks in the ocean, the planes torn apart and the floating remains that drifted away. "Here is where the bodies of those millions of people you sent here are now! I want you to be clear about one thing, all of you: this is your fault. Most of the people buried here were just following orders. None of them were to die. They were sent here convinced that they would have an easy victory, they were deluded by your sweet words that this war would bring them fame and wealth and that it would protect their families from a nonexistent enemy. Millions of people who at this moment could have been in their home, together with their families and their children, enjoying dinner or watching television, are now buried in this terrible water tomb. And what gain have you made, or you who cowardly sit in your armchairs while your soldiers die in a war that you yourself have caused? Absolutely nothing. My army is still as strong and resolute as it was a few days ago. Our losses were minimal"

Sobek slammed his jaws, showing razor-sharp teeth. "Your only achievement has been to show the whole world your hypocrisy. You criminals who hide under the name of defenders of humanity have done terrible acts in this short war. You were the first to undermine peace, and despite my goodwill and my many warnings, you have chosen to spark this conflict. You stirred up riots in the one nation that had chosen to remain neutral, attempting to wipe out their political class and put a puppet in power. You have tried to invade that nation and you have seriously endangered the lives of ordinary people, those innocent people who did not care about war, because it seems for your thinking it is better to sacrifice millions of individuals to save your interest. And then, once you get here, you have unleashed the fire, the poison, the death. You have covered the land with your cruelty and often even hit your own soldiers. And what did all this do for you? NOTHING! We are still here, and we will not leave! You lost miserably!"

Sobek's eyes flared up. Even though he was just recording, Blue swallowed to see a terrifying expression form on his pack leader's face. But as fast as it had come, that expression disappeared, replaced by a flat and resolute calm. "I am not like you. We are not like you. We will not endanger other innocent people. We will not invade your territory and we will not destroy your cities, but I will still make you pay for what you have done. This is a warning: in exactly twenty-four hours, every human ship or vessel in the oceans will be sunk, including those in your ports. The planes and helicopters that dare to fly over the sea will be inexorably shot down. Until humanity agrees to follow a peaceful path, you will no longer be allowed to return to the ocean. I repeat it again: in twenty-four hours, no human vessel or aircraft will be able to cross the sea anymore. The only people who will be exempted from this embargo are the people of the Great Republic of Beleriard, who unlike the rest of the world have chosen peace and alliance; but any other nation can forget to travel the ocean. I give all people twenty-four hours; whoever is at the moment at sea will have plenty of time to go back or call a helicopter to be taken away. In these twenty-four hours, any war action will be suspended: we will not pursue the surviving ships and we will not attack humans if any of them have miraculously saved and took refuge in our territory. But once the twenty-four hours have elapsed, anyone who finds himself at sea or on our land will only be able to blame himself"

After those last words, Blue switched off his cell phone and stopped filming. "Send it in immediately and make sure as many people as possible see it" Sobek ordered.

"Yes, pack leader"

*******

The video didn't take long to travel around the world. Nothing traveled as fast as the Internet, perhaps only light.

"What do we do, commander?"

Jake Sully was watching the video with a frown. He looked at his friends and his soldiers. They all shared the same thought: they had no way of turning back before the twenty-four hours were up. Their ships were too slow.

Due to its enormous weight, an aircraft carrier could move up to a maximum of 55 km/h. In one day, even pushing the engines to the maximum, he could not have covered more than 1,320 kilometers. And because of Quaritch's pincer maneuver, Jake's small fleet was now too far from the nearest civilized land. Beleriard, the only human nation on the continent of Maakanar, was at least 2,000 kilometers away. Maybe some of the smaller ships and planes could have gotten away with it, but not the rest of the fleet.

Jake rubbed his face tiredly. "How many people can the fastest submarines, planes and ships carry?"

Trudy shrugged. "If we cram everyone in like sardines, they can take a hundred thousand men away at most. It is not even half of the fleet"

"I know" Jake growled. He let out a deep sigh, then didn't hold back anymore: "DAMN QUARITCH! DAMN DINOSAURS! AND DAMN THIS WAR!"

Jake grabbed the table and turned it over. His friends and the soldiers in the room said nothing. They had never seen their commander so devastated.

Jake kept screaming and smashing things for five minutes, then finally calmed down. He leaned against a wall panting, then whispered: "Order the crew of the submarines and small ships to prepare to leave, and do the same with the pilots. Tell them their destination is Beleriard, where they will have to seek political asylum. Then take all the younger soldiers, without any distinction of rank, and have them come aboard. Continue until they are no longer there, then let them go. If someone tries to clandestinely climb up or take the place of another, shoot him"

Everyone nodded, understanding what Jake wanted to do. In this way, at least the younger members of the fleet would be saved: they who still had their whole life ahead of them could survive. "And then?" Trudy asked.

Jake bit his lip. "Head to the nearest beach and get ready to disembark"

"Commander?"

"We have no other options. The dinosaurs have stated that they won't attack anyone for twenty-four hours, so they won't bother us. This land is full of primitive Neanderthal tribes. Our only hope is to ask them for political asylum"

"Will the dinosaurs accept it?"

"Dinosaurs don't attack enemies randomly. They have no enmity with Neanderthals and never cared that they were in their territory. If we can get the help of these tribes we can save the fleet"

Trudy was silent for a second, then she nodded: "As you wish, commander"

Jake took a deep breath. Now he desperate needed a drink.