Ozymandias presented his justification for massacring millions in such a pompous way that Liu A'dou couldn't help but mock him. "Adrian, right?"
Ozymandias didn't show the same 'enthusiasm' toward Liu A'dou as he did with Rorschach. "I'd prefer you to address me as Ozymandias."
"Sure, Adrian, no problem, Adrian," Liu A'dou said, making Ozymandias furrow his brows. Ozymandias had been observing Liu A'dou carefully and noticed that, despite all his attacks on Rorschach, this young man in white hadn't made a move. Clearly, he wasn't an ally of Rorschach. Ozymandias was curious about the identity of Kaitou Kid.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Kaitou Kid. You can call me Kaitou, or you can call me Kid. Or you can call me Kaitou Kid, Adrian."
Ozymandias almost wanted to punch Kid, as Kid wouldn't even listen. He stood there, hands casually in his pockets, as though he hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"Kaitou Kid?" Ozymandias sneered. "I've never heard of you. You seem to have a different opinion on my plan."
"It's not a different opinion. I completely disagree," Kid said, mimicking Ozymandias' movements, pacing back and forth, deliberately trying to irritate him. "I think you're making a huge mistake."
"Oh?" Ozymandias raised an eyebrow. "The Comedian once said that humanity's destructive nature would eventually lead to its downfall. But I've saved all of humanity with the sacrifice of millions. What's wrong with that? I call it 'the greatest practical joke in human history.'" Ozymandias grinned, full of self-satisfaction.
Rorschach was stunned by Ozymandias' twisted sense of pride. To him, this wasn't the greatest—this was the worst. The idea of killing millions for a joke was utterly sickening. Rorschach had a moment where he wanted to strike down Ozymandias. "Killing millions."
"To save more people. It's a necessary crime," Ozymandias stated matter-of-factly.
Rorschach didn't know how to communicate with Ozymandias anymore. His thoughts were completely twisted. Sacrificing the few to save the many wasn't what Ozymandias was claiming, but he wasn't eloquent enough to argue with him.
At that moment, Liu A'dou chuckled. "The wisdom of mortals!"
Ozymandias' eyes widened in fury. His superior intellect had just been dismissed as "the wisdom of mortals." How could he not be angry?
But Liu A'dou wasn't fighting alone. At that moment, Colonel Chu Xuan's spirit entered him. "Adrian, your intelligence is just as limited. Your so-called 'salvation' is nothing but something you've forced upon the world. Your so-called 'sacrifice' is something you've imposed on others. Don't try to dress up murder as something noble. You're just a 'mortal' with the arrogance to act as though you're above all of humanity. It's truly disgusting."
"The world will thank me. At least I've done what I can. I've fought for peace for the majority of those who survived," Ozymandias said. "You can't stop my plan. It's already underway." He looked down at Kid. "No matter what you say, it's all been set in motion. You can't change anything. You say I'm just a 'mortal intellect,' but what can you possibly do?"
Rorschach's mask shifted with a sudden intensity. Had they arrived too late? Was it really going to cost millions of lives?
On the television wall, images of six major cities appeared, with a glowing energy point gathering and expanding at their centers. Ozymandias turned away, smiling. "A new order will rise from the ashes." His expression nearly screamed that he considered himself a hero for the people.
Kaitou Kid and Rorschach were both watching the explosion, but after the bright light, the explosion never happened. Liu A'dou smiled. It seemed everything was under control. Although he didn't know exactly how Ada had managed it, the explosion had definitely been prevented.
"…" Rorschach's mask shifted, and he spoke, "Ozymandias, it seems your technology has regressed."
Ozymandias spun around quickly. The explosion should have started by now, so why didn't it? He looked at the screen, but there was no sign of movement. "Impossible. My plan is flawless. Dr. Manhattan will become humanity's enemy. The U.S. and the Soviet Union will come out of the Cold War, and I will be the hero who saves the world from nuclear war."
"Ridiculous," Kaitou Kid stepped up onto the platform, "Calling it the wisdom of mortals is an insult to mortals. You're just a vile beast with a narrow view, forcing yourself to believe you're intelligent. You're no more than an animal who likes to frame others and destroy lives. From the beginning, I already guessed your so-called 'prank,' and I prepared for it. Adrian, accept the facts. When it comes to intelligence, you can never outsmart me."
"Impossible! My plan is perfect," Ozymandias staggered back, not believing that such a perfect plan could be foreseen by someone. All those who knew the details were already dead, and even Dr. Manhattan, the one who could predict the future, had left Earth. No one could have anticipated his plan. "This is impossible—it's all a lie. The six cities must have already been nuked!"
Although Rorschach didn't understand exactly what was happening, he knew this was the moment of reversal. Then Kaitou Kid spoke, "You think you're clever? Honestly, a little thought from a villain's perspective can go a long way. I did a little research on your company's projects and found a post-disaster reconstruction plan on a huge scale, including six cities. As soon as I saw this, I knew exactly what you were up to." Liu A'dou had never seen the post-disaster reconstruction plan document; he had just guessed. Because Liu A'dou knew that Ozymandias, as someone who wanted to be the great man of the new world, must have made preparations, especially focusing on disaster relief after the nuclear explosions. If the disaster relief went well, Ozymandias would definitely be remembered by the people. So, this lie had a basis, even if it was just a guess.
Ozymandias turned pale because Liu A'dou had guessed correctly. Ozymandias indeed had a reconstruction plan and had even prepared a large sum of money. But he was confident no one could have used this 'new city reconstruction plan' to deduce his entire series of actions, especially predicting the foreign target cities.
Seeing the color drain from Ozymandias' face, Liu A'dou knew he had hit the mark. "I told you, when it comes to intelligence, you're no match for me. I only needed a small clue to see through you completely. Your ambition, your inferiority, your weakness, and the filth that runs through your entire being."
"Impossible," Ozymandias still refused to accept failure. No, there was still a chance. He lunged toward the control panel, trying to restart the explosives.
Liu A'dou made his move. He channeled the Ripple into his magic card gun and quickly shot Ozymandias in the thigh, causing him to collapse to the ground with a cry.
Rorschach stepped forward and grabbed Ozymandias. "You look pathetic. You look awful, refusing to admit defeat."
"No! I won't lose! I'm the creator of the new world!"
"Clearly, the new world doesn't need a schemer like you," Rorschach said, landing a heavy punch to Ozymandias' face, taking out his frustration. He then dropped Ozymandias, who was now unconscious. "All of this is thanks to you, Kaitou Kid."