#301 - God is always busy

Despite X-Superman's spirited words, Dr. Manhattan found them perplexing. Although Dr. Manhattan possessed all of Osterman's memories, the two could no longer be compared after that experiment.

Transcending cause and effect was arguably Dr. Manhattan's first acquired ability. After his body transformed into a quantum form, he became immune to any causal influence. Even if someone traveled through time and killed Osterman before the experiment, it wouldn't affect Dr. Manhattan.

Frankly, based on the abilities Yang Le had previously displayed, Dr. Manhattan couldn't imagine how the other party would reclaim his superpowers. He figured only the elusive God could take his powers back.

Indeed, if it were just Yang Le, he might be evenly matched with Dr. Manhattan. However, standing before the latter now wasn't Yang Le, but X-Superman, with three minds working together.

Aiming his palm at Dr. Manhattan, a transparent ripple emanated from X-Superman's hand, making the vast, boundless universe seem like a lake with a stone thrown into it.

Then, a sudden change occurred. The universe began to distort, and X-Superman's palm became like a black hole, absorbing everything around it. Nearby planets were pulled closer.

Even Dr. Manhattan couldn't resist. When he tried to move through space to escape, he discovered that even space and time were being sucked into X-Superman's palm.

"You can't escape," three voices echoed simultaneously. At this moment, X-Superman spoke without any inflection or emotional fluctuation.

"Whether it's space, time, reality, or virtuality, nothing in this world can escape. Osterman, you have no possibility of escape."

As if to confirm X-Superman's words, countless Dr. Manhattans were pulled from his body, all moving towards X-Superman.

This was due to Dr. Manhattan's nature; he existed in all timelines and points in time, whether past, present, or future. X-Superman was pulling all versions of him here.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, X-Superman's hand finally grabbed Dr. Manhattan's head, perfectly covering the symbol on the latter's forehead. Only then did Dr. Manhattan realize how laughable his previous assessment of the other's strength had been.

Using both hands to grip the other's arm, he went all out for the first time since becoming Dr. Manhattan. In that instant, he used all the abilities he possessed, but couldn't shake the other party in the slightest.

Quantum analysis, body replication, space-time movement, particle manipulation, reality alteration, decomposition and recombination—none of it worked. X-Superman merely used one hand to turn him into a dud.

Even his last resort, the Anti-Crisis energy representing hope that he had placed so much hope in, the binding force capable of creating laws, gave him no response at this moment.

What did this represent? Dr. Manhattan knew very well. It meant there was no hope; he had no possibility of escape.

"Osterman," X-Superman's unique multiple voices sounded, his emotionless white eyes staring directly at the other.

"Because of your various misdeeds, I, on behalf of everything you have manipulated, retract your superpowers."

With that, X-Superman released his right hand that was grabbing Dr. Manhattan. The latter knelt weakly on the ground. In X-Superman's still outstretched palm, a marble-sized blue sphere of light floated, with a three-dimensional Dr. Manhattan symbol imprinted at its center.

Looking at Dr. Manhattan, his original blue quantum body was gradually dissipating, slowly turning into a normal human body. Osterman could clearly feel that only a small amount of energy remained in his body, and it was rapidly draining away.

"No! No! No!" Osterman shouted in panic. "You can't do this! I still have to maintain the peace of the universe and the stability of the timeline. Give it back to me!"

After saying that, Osterman lunged towards X-Superman. At this point, he had lost his mind, not considering the gap between them at all. Saying they were from different dimensions was already elevating Osterman.

Before Osterman could pounce on X-Superman, he was teleported away. Facing a disheveled man lunging at him, the three minds made their fastest decision ever.

X-Superman teleported Osterman to the DC universe's Earth where Yang Le had lived for months, intending for him to experience the feeling of surviving in an unfamiliar environment without an identity.

Also, he didn't give him any clothes. Of course, this was a little bit of Yang Le's own selfishness, as revenge for the ambush. As for why he didn't kill Osterman, it was of course because of an old saying:

It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

Osterman had become accustomed to Dr. Manhattan's omnipotent power. Turning Osterman into an ordinary person at this time was more painful than killing him. Strike the snake at its seven inches, kill a man, and pierce his heart.

Having done all this, X-Superman slowly turned around. He still had guests to receive.

At some point, a person appeared not far from X-Superman. It was an old man with a thick handlebar mustache, wearing a well-tailored black suit, a neat tie, and a black bowler hat covering his tidy hair. He also held a cane in his hand, looking like an old-fashioned London gentleman.

"The Supreme God? When did you arrive?" Yang Le asked.

"Yes, I love you too," the old man was taken aback, then responded with a smile.

The omniscient God, like X-Superman, naturally knew the knowledge of other universes. These abstract memes were just the tip of the iceberg.

"I thought you were like those relatively rigid Celestial Gods," God said helplessly. "I didn't expect you to be a kid who likes abstract humor."

"Why so serious?" Yang Le tilted his head, imitating another well-known character.

"You dare to use the lines of a character I created against me? How dare you!" Although God glared, there was uncontrollable laughter in his eyes.

"Stop, stop," God saw that Yang Le was about to continue with the memes and immediately stopped the latter. "Okay, I didn't come to you to talk about abstract things."

"Then what is it for?" Yang Le asked in confusion, because he felt that the other party had no malice. Seeing the other party catch the memes, he thought the other party was here to play with him.

"I am God," God proudly twirled the cane in his hand, his face full of pride. "I have many important things to do, of course, unlike that exhibitionist."

"So, what is it?"

"Uh? To watch various derivative dramas of the DC universe."