Crimson Embers Chapter 36: Facing the stubborn Dr. Bluebird, Mason's punishment is...
“This is not right!”
Dr. Manhattan explained the reason for his actions, but this did not convince Mason's companions at all, especially the clever Harley, who immediately retorted:
"You, a pervert who doesn't wear pants, saw that everything was destroyed before, so it was barely understandable that you completed the simulation cycle again and again in the past seventeen years, but now the ending has changed!
The fusion system that we created with Little Sweetheart will eventually fuse all the surviving universes into one in the impact! That is no longer destruction, the happy ending is right in front of you, why do you have to continue the cycle when you are already close to victory?
Dum says this is the last chance!
If you restart the cycle and let everything go back to the starting point, and no smart baby like Sweetie appears to turn everything around, wouldn't it be another disaster?
Your excuse is totally untenable!"
"That's right."
The engineer chimed in:
“If you really cared about these people as much as you said you did, you should have stopped this meaningless cycle and waited for the shock to end once you saw the success of the New Utopia Project.
But you continue to push the loop back, which proves that you are nothing but a crazy hypocrite!"
Facing the questioning of Harley and the engineer, Dr. Bluebird did not give a reason. The spherical space fell silent. After a few seconds, Rorschach, who was standing in the crowd, took a step forward.
This extreme and stubborn detective stared at Dr. Manhattan. When he saw this guy, the sealed memories in his mind resurfaced.
He said in a complex but disgusted tone:
"He can't see it! He can't see the future that will be caused by the influence that Mason exerts on the outside world. He said he could see the end of the universe, but that was in the past!
He was blind, he was afraid, things were out of his omnipotent control, so he chose to retreat.
He wanted to return to the familiar state of affairs, or perhaps he made a trade-off with his cold and meaningless thinking.
Just like what happens in our world...
Jonathan!
Once again, you made a decision that you thought was right, just like the Pharaoh using a nuclear war to try to end the conflict and mutual destruction among human beings.
You sided with him and killed me for not wanting to compromise.
I remember it all.
You made the same mistake again.”
"That's not a mistake, Rorschach."
Dr. Bluebird did not deny what Rorschach said. He replied:
"Only when faced with a common threat can humans unite and give up the idea of killing each other. After your death, things went as planned, and our homeland was at peace until the impact occurred and destroyed it.
I left there and wandered through countless parallel worlds until the impact came.
I saw everything in advance. I was aware of the existence of the Council and took the initiative to join the plan. I believed that the entire parallel world system would make the same judgment as we did in the face of the disaster of impact, but it turned out that life could not stop hating each other, even when the end of the world came.
The horrific pressure drove them crazy, and in the despair of self-abandonment, they chose terrible indulgence...
I'm not lying. This is exactly what they did during the third simulation cycle. I saw it with my own eyes, and it was exactly the same as the future I foresaw.
Everything is set, Rorschach.
Tony Zero thinks he is a pathetic puppet, but he doesn't realize that I, who am omnipotent in his eyes, am also a puppet. What makes me luckier than you is that I can see that transparent string.
But this cannot change the ending between you and me.
That will only make me lose my last confidence and expectation for the future. If everything is destined to be destroyed, then hope becomes the most vicious medicine.
It is better to let them indulge in the illusion of hope than to destroy themselves, and it is better to repeat the mistakes of the past than to stop at the indulgence. "
Dr. Bluebird shook his head and said:
"I'm really trying the same actions over and over again to get different results. From a psychological perspective, I may be crazy, but normality is just a luxury for me."
"You're avoiding the problem."
Mason stared at Dr. Bluebird in front of him and said:
"You didn't answer Rorschach's question. I don't think you can see the future of this universe after I appear. You can't! It's like a person who suddenly goes blind will always have an instinctive panic.
Are you feeling scared?
Are you so scared that you dare not give up the truth that everything in your eyes will eventually perish, and dare not open your arms to embrace the future? "
"I admit that I do have this sentiment."
Dr. Manhattan looked at Mason and said:
"At first it was just interference, which made me see the future intermittently, and then the interference intensified and made my vision blurry. No matter how hard I tried, I could only see a little bit of the picture.
I saw the scene during the Fourth Impact where the cosmic tuning fork exploded due to fusion failure, but it turned out to be a mistake.
You succeeded.
After that, I lost sight of the future, everything in my eyes had changed and I had to move on with the same worries about the future as everyone else.
That made me feel a rare sense of pressure.
Perhaps I can finally understand how the members of the Council feel on a daily basis, and why they choose to struggle and resist meaninglessly in the face of a doomsday outcome.
I realized that the unknown is more terrifying than despair, but this change did not come from my resistance to the future by changing the past. This change should not have happened...
you!
You are not in the plan of the stars at all."
"So you've decided to ignore me and all the changes I've brought here? Just because my presence interferes with your view of the universe and prevents you from seeing the future?
Do you think this is a bad thing?"
Mason drew his pistol.
Others also drew their weapons. In this tense atmosphere, facing Mason's questioning, Dr. Manhattan remained silent again.
He looked back at the ever-changing energy model behind him and the changes in the slowly "opening" of the End Star, then he turned back to Mason and said:
“No, it’s a good thing, I’ve accepted my imperfections and stopped fearing the future, in fact after losing my view of the future I realised that the humanity I lost through detachment seems to be returning.
I used to be too obsessed with observing the future and neglected the present. The cruel reality that everything will come to an end also made me decadent and no longer care about everything around me.
I thought everything had an end.
But after this mistake I realized that even if the end is approaching, all the efforts and resistance are meaningful. Mason, the method you used to save was correct and excellent. The only problem is that it came too late.
As I said earlier, I am going to really try and do my best to help the universe, so I am inviting you to try again.
Come, join me, and go back to the source to solve all problems.”
"No, I refuse! I tried my best to turn this era back on track not to give you a chance to try again! You are not qualified to represent all the suffering people of this era.
You don't even know what they want, and we have created miracles without your help. It's not that we need you, but that you need us.
But, arrogant gods...
Our answer to the help you are finally willing to offer is, we refuse! "
Mason pulled the trigger decisively.
The bullet shot out of the gun with six kinds of enhanced power and flew towards Dr. Bluebird with a devastating attitude. The latter didn't even make any movement and let the bullet hover in front of him and decomposed it at the subatomic level so that its entity and the energy attached to it were decomposed into the most basic cosmic particles .
Obviously, bullets subject to the law of causality can hit the target in terms of time and space, but when facing Dr. Bluebird, the guaranteed hit effect of this rule is also removed.
This fully demonstrates that Dr. Manhattan also understands the law of causality and is immune to causal connections at the existential level.
This guy is invincible!
Truly invincible, he possesses every ability Mason could imagine, and nothing can kill him unless he wishes.
What's more, Dr. Bluebird was still in the core of the cycle that could strengthen his abilities and enable him to influence the origin of the universe. Before Mason fired the shot, he knew that he was fighting a war that he could never win.
The only way to gain an advantage is to fight magic with magic.
So the moment Mason fired, the engineer immediately stepped back and took out a very special storage cabin from his bag, which contained a set of strange-looking machines.
It is composed of many gears and strangely shaped connectors, with a very steampunk-shaped energy lamp on it. The moment it is released, a platform made up of interlaced white planes extends out. The whole machine operates automatically in an unusual posture. No power supply device can be seen and it is uncertain where the power generated by this operation will be sent.
This thing is self-consistent on its own level.
Its very existence is a stable system that explains itself, and therefore will not be disturbed by any external forces.
This is the Miracle Machine, the only way Mason can take on the invincible Dr. Bluebird.
The moment the miracle machine was taken out, the blue light around Dr. Bluebird burst out, and more than 20 clones appeared in the entire spherical space, and each of them possessed the same superpowers as him. This level of clones has surpassed the concept of copying.
Seeing that the miracle machine in the engineer's hands was about to be taken away, Mason decisively pressed the detonation button, and the antimatter bombs placed in various areas of the End Star by other Masons entered the countdown.
If Dr. Bluebird lets it go, the entire planet will be blown to pieces, and the already activated loop will also be put into uncontrollable danger.
"Shua"
Dr. Manhattan left himself here, and other copies went to different areas in quantum teleportation to organize the detonation of planetary antimatter bombs.
It seemed like he had bought some time, but even if he was alone, Dr. Bluebird was enough to crush the rebels present.
He raised his hands and bound the screaming Harley and Quinn in the air. The two dogs that rushed out were also controlled in place by the changes of time and space. The engineer opened the storage tank and let the miracle machine fall to the ground and then it was crushed on the ground.
Mason drank the Superman potion in one gulp and put on the main power armor of the universe. He didn't dare to drink a million stars at this time. God knows whether Void Mason will take this opportunity to give him a big life.
But the always invincible Master Power Armor of the Universe only allowed Mason to last a few seconds longer than others when Dr. Bluebird released his power.
The armor that was born in the World Crucible was constantly decomposed by Dr. Bluebird with the power that also came from the origin of the universe while he was running. This invincible armor also came to the end of its existence.
In the first second, the entire outer layer of the armor was broken down into flying particles.
In the second second, the internal main frame collapsed like weathering. In the third second, only a thin layer of armor was left, pushing Mason to roll in front of the miracle machine. In the fourth second, Mason's hand grabbed the lever of the miracle machine, but Dr. Bluebird had appeared in front of him.
Rorschach rushed over and stood in front of Dr. Bluebird with his arms outstretched. He shouted:
"Kill me! Just like you did before! Jonathan! Kill me in the face of truth and justice, and bury your pitiful humanity once again!"
"Bang"
Rorschach was knocked out.
Dr. Manhattan obviously had no intention of killing his only remaining "friend" again. This action only took a second, but in the current situation it was enough for Mason to open his bag and take out the important thing!
Dr. Bluebird raised the fingers of his left hand, gathering energy at his fingertips that could penetrate everything like a magic light cannon.
At this moment, he and Mason were almost face to face, and the flashing fingertips had already touched Mason's forehead. The blue-skinned guy said seriously:
"We can work together..."
"No need! I tried my best to make the best of a bad hand. I no longer have the confidence and interest to try again. More importantly, I am not as lonely and indifferent as you.
They didn't want me to leave, and I didn't want to leave them.
I am different from you who can't even keep your girlfriend and wife. I have already harvested my own happiness on the road to the future, and I don't intend to give it up. "
The captain didn't care at all about the light beam that could pierce his forehead and kill him completely. He stared at the doctor in front of him and reached out to pull the joystick down.
The miracle machine began to roar, and in the flashing light, it seemed that this second of time was extended infinitely, causing Dr. Bluebird in front of him to pause his actions.
It was asking Mason about his wish, just like the wish he made when facing Shenron after collecting the Dragon Balls.
But Mason only has one chance, he must carefully consider his needs, and this thing can't distinguish between random thoughts and what he really wants, which means that Mason must concentrate and calmly complete the wishing process. Any sudden thought will have disastrous consequences.
This should have been a decision-making process that required careful consideration, but for the captain who was prepared for everything in advance, when he decided to take out this ultimate weapon, his wishes and ideas had already been confirmed.
Hold the joystick with your left hand.
He stretched out his right hand and the crystal key suspended in it seemed to be decomposed and summoned by some force, causing it to quickly melt in the light.
"Click"
The joystick was pulled to the bottom, and a miracle light flashed.
The moment the delay of time dissipated, the beam of light from Dr. Manhattan's fingertips came towards him.
His blue face was full of regret, as if he felt sorry for taking Mason's life with his own hands, just like the tragedy when he killed Rorschach in his own world.
Mason, on the other hand, looked calm.
It seemed that he did not have the anger and resentment of an impending death, but rather was more like he had been prepared for this and was expecting some unexpected events to happen.
At this moment, a flickering light appeared beside Mason, like a crack that was torn open with great difficulty.
With her long silver hair flying like a waterfall, Ciri jumped over, grabbed Mason and jumped out again, causing the light shot from Dr. Bluebird's fingertips to brush against Mason's cheek and hit the black strange head that appeared from behind, and was swallowed by the latter in one gulp.
"Bang"
Three fierce fists hit Dr. Bluebird hard in the next moment, and then the Kite Man flew out and roared as he threw the maximum-yield explosive at the enemy.
There is also the full force of Perfect Ultron and Frog, but these are just covers, and the real main attacker is the big group.
This guy got a very pure and improved version of Compound No. 5 from somewhere. He raised his head and started to drink it, activating his enhanced superpowers, and smashed Dr. Bluebird's head with energy that was enough to tear apart a star.
Although Dr. Manhattan was immune to most of the forces due to his invincibility, the remaining ones still pushed him away.
Zod, in a spiritual state, stood in mid-air. Together with Kara and Bizarro, he completely separated Dr. Manhattan from Mason. The remaining members of Team K jumped out all at once and began to attack Dr. Bluebird in front of them without any command.
Of course, such destructive power is not enough to hurt Dr. Manhattan.
Even the siege of the superhumans could not make him feel pressured. In the spherical space at the core of this cycle, the cosmic energy he could mobilize was endless. Even if he threw Uncle Tun in, he would have no chance of winning.
But Dr. Manhattan soon sensed something was wrong.
After the entanglement of nearly ten seconds, he easily turned everyone on the ground, and then repelled the flying over all over, he glanced at his hands with the firepower of the sky.
His connection to the stars was also rapidly weakening.
"Don't look at it anymore. I banished you."
Mason stood up with the help of Ciri, and looked at the miracle machine with regret, which exploded and broke into parts flying to all parts of the stars after the wish was fulfilled.
He looked up at Dr. Bluebird and said:
"This sea of stars no longer welcomes you, Dr. Manhattan. You can go to the outside world and continue your observations. Of course, you can come back again, but next time please come as a friendly guest.
Besides, there might be a friend over there who can complete this conversation with you for me.
That will hurt a little.
I hope you hold back, arrogant god."
"You've sacrificed something precious that will keep you from leaving here!"
Dr. Bluebird's eyes widened in surprise. Due to his own strength, he didn't care about what happened to him. He was just curious about Mason's actions, but he soon reacted.
How could Mason be so reckless?
He must have remedies.
"There's still a chance, Mason!"
Dr. Bluebird's body quickly dissipated as if being expelled from the material world. As he became transparent, he called out to Mason:
"You can still save everything and solve the problem from the source as I said, Savior. I have calculated that the probability of success is 100%!
You just need to muster up the courage and take one more step forward… You can do it, one more time…”
"What is he talking about?"
Ciri looked at Mason. She felt a strong sense of uneasiness, but the captain shook his head and focused his eyes on the running circulation core in front of him.
He held Ciri's hand tightly and whispered:
"Nothing. Don't listen to his crazy talk. But you guys are too late, aren't you? I almost had to say goodbye to you in the form of a black and white photo."
"You are the one who has so many things to do !"
Ciri rolled her eyes.
She felt like she was blind. How could she fall in love with such an inconsiderate guy? Didn't he know how much effort he had put in to bring so many guys over?
But the rebuke was never uttered, and was replaced by a gentle reunion kiss. Mason stared into the sparkling eyes in front of him, took off the White Wolf ring on his finger, and held Ciri's hand.
He whispered:
"It's time to return it to its original owner."
…
"Shua"
Dr. Bluebird appeared in another unfamiliar sea of stars in a flash of light. He looked back at the empty space behind him with a sense of loss, and then decided to find a place to rest.
But before he could even start, several balls of light flew over and surrounded him, followed by a whistling voice:
"It was this bastard who bullied the Tamagotchi we raised together! He even persuaded our logistics director to sacrifice himself. It was easy for us to recruit someone, but now he is facing the danger of getting lost in the void!
When has our little group ever suffered such humiliation?
Mason, that little noob, can't beat him, but we have the upper hand, guys...beat him!"
