Chapter 148 (edited)

On the surface of Mars, there should have been a lifeless, deserted planet.

But now, Dr. Manhattan had built a complex. Was it some kind of specialized facility or something else entirely?

Kara didn't know. Not because she couldn't comprehend it, but because she was too indifferent to care.

After all, it was clear enough. He was preparing for the destruction of Earth, laying the foundation for humanity's second home on Mars.

Or perhaps he was attempting to recreate life itself?

"You don't actually think you're a god, do you? That you're the real God?" Kara asked. Standing amidst the desolate Martian landscape, she observed the structure and finally understood what Dr. Manhattan meant with the question he'd asked her earlier.

He wasn't pretending. He was genuinely confused. He was gradually abandoning his humanity and everything tied to it, embracing the notion of his own deification.

Kara found it almost absurd. If it were anyone else, she would have dismissed them as a lunatic.

But Dr. Manhattan was no ordinary man. Even as a madman, he was still a god-like madman.

A madman who could bend the very fabric of the universe at will.

It wasn't an exaggeration to call him the only true god of this universe.

Because, at least for now, the Watchmen universe wasn't directly tied to the larger DC Universe.

Unless, of course, Dr. Manhattan did something significant enough to bridge the two. Or unless Kara caused ripples through her own actions.

"Now you understand what I've been wrestling with," Dr. Manhattan said, his expression unchanging. He wasn't surprised in the least. Perhaps he'd already glimpsed this moment, foreseeing every word Kara was about to say.

Kara nodded. "Yeah, I get it now. I finally understand why you're like this. You treat everything as if it's a game. You see time as a book you've read dozens of times, even going as far as writing your own fanfictions."

She suddenly laughed, a sharp, biting sound that echoed faintly in the thin Martian atmosphere. "Even if it's an interesting movie, if you watch it dozens of times in one day, it becomes dull, right? Imagine chewing the same piece of meat for an entire year. Does it still taste good?"

Her analogy was unexpected, even for her.

But it hit home.

No deep philosophy, no theology, not even advanced psychology could explain it better.

Dr. Manhattan's situation was surprisingly simple. He constantly saw the future unfold before his eyes. Every choice he made, every attempt to change the outcome, splintered into countless possibilities.

He had already seen everything that was going to happen, including the outcomes of conversations, even the next words Kara was about to utter.

It wasn't hard to see why he found life uninteresting.

"Even I could get bored if I observed the same outcomes over and over again. Surprises and unpredictability are what make life interesting," Kara continued. She gave him a pointed look. "Do you know what the most boring game in the world is?"

Dr. Manhattan responded, already knowing her answer. "Playing chess with yourself."

Kara frowned, annoyed. "Could you not spoil my lines? At least give me a moment of anticipation."

Then, her expression turned sly. "Besides, if you could foresee the exact moment your girlfriend cheats on you, wouldn't that be just a little too boring?"

She didn't expect Dr. Manhattan to suddenly lower his gaze.

Her smirk faltered. "Wait... no way."

Without responding, Dr. Manhattan turned his attention back to Earth. He pointed toward a specific location. "Laurie is with Dan."

Kara's eyes narrowed as she activated her enhanced vision, zeroing in on the spot. Sure enough, Laurie, the second Silk Spectre, was with Dan Dreiberg, the second Nite Owl.

Her lips curled into a wicked grin. "Want me to kill them for you?" she offered, her heat vision sparking to life.

But Dr. Manhattan raised a hand, stopping her. "In a few hours, Laurie will come here and confess her betrayal."

Kara's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

When Kara first arrived in this universe, the timeline had been a few days earlier. Back then, Laurie had still been Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend.

Yet now, in just a few short days, she had moved on to someone else?

"What the hell happened in the meantime?" Kara asked, suddenly intrigued. The fire of curiosity flared within her, and she urged him, "Come on, show me."

Dr. Manhattan obliged without hesitation. He placed a glowing hand on her forehead.

"Don't leave any weird marks," Kara muttered reflexively.

For a fleeting moment, Dr. Manhattan hesitated, his expression almost imperceptibly shifting. But before Kara could notice, he shared his vision with her.

It wasn't that Kara needed Dr. Manhattan's abilities to see the timeline; her own power allowed her to traverse time effortlessly. But as someone new to this universe, Kara knew that diving headfirst into its time stream might destabilize her perception of causality.

Dr. Manhattan, however, had no such limitations.

To describe their difference in dimensional terms: Kara was like a third-dimensional being knocking on the door of the fourth dimension, with the potential to reach the fifth if she pushed herself.

But Dr. Manhattan was already comfortably seated in the fifth dimension, possibly even higher.

The gap was clear.

Yet Kara wasn't the type to dwell on it. What mattered now was the story unfolding before her eyes—a story that explained Laurie's betrayal, Dan's role, and Dr. Manhattan's growing detachment from humanity.

Through it all, one thought lingered in her mind.

Even gods have heartbreak.