Clark's mouth hung open slightly as he said, "What?"
"He's not human; he's a monster!"
Lilith reached back and grabbed Clark's shoulder, saying, "I'm certain that what Professor Rodriguez is going through now is related to him, I've seen the same thing in both of them!"
"The same thing?"
"The same kind of terror!" Lilith said anxiously, "I can't describe it to you because it's indescribable, but it's extremely terrifying, and Brand might have taken control of Shiller!"
Clark's expression immediately turned serious, but he still seemed hesitant as he asked, "They are good friends, are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely sure!" Lilith stated firmly, "If it is Brand controlling Shiller, then pretending to be friends would be easy. Besides that, I can't think of any other possibility..."
After pondering for a moment, Clark said, "Doesn't that put Professor Shiller in grave danger?"
"He won't be in danger of losing his life because he's still useful. However, that terrifying thing lingering in his mind is making him lose his way, which could prompt him to do something dangerous," Lilith made an objective assessment.
"Then we should go back and find him right now!" Clark said, preparing to take Lilith and fly back.
Lilith quickly shook her head to stop him, "No, we can't handle that thing. I know you're very strong, but terror isn't physical, it's mental, and I doubt your psyche is immune."
Clark was hearing for the first time that there was something he couldn't handle, but he wasn't an arrogant person; he understood there's always a higher sky.
Lilith dared to make such a judgment, certainly because her encounter had instilled a fear in her. She might be magnifying her fear, but even if just to not agitate her and to give her a sense of security, Clark couldn't show disbelief.
"I believe you, Miss Lilith. What do you think we should do?"
"If it were the old me, I would choose to stay out of it, to run as far as possible. But I feel like that terrifying thing won't let me off the hook easily, running is useless," Lilith said, showing a pained expression.
She clutched Clark's arm tightly as if it could make her feel safe. After calming her emotions a bit, she said, "I feel that someone will meet a terrible end, and it's related to Shiller. And if Shiller is under Dr. Brand's control, then it's something Dr. Brand wants to do. But why? What does he want by doing this?"
"In fact, I don't think he would gain anything from it. Maybe he just wants to make Shiller suffer, and us too. There are such people in the world, you must believe..."
Lilith's words were somewhat disjointed, but Clark understood her meaning. Thus, he asked, "So, to prevent the tragedy, should we try to separate them and sever their contact?"
"No, that can't be done. What's foretold in the prophecy will inevitably happen. You can't stop it; we can only manage the aftermath."
Clark frowned, actually finding it absurd, but he wasn't one to easily judge something he didn't understand. Lilith had shown her abilities for the first time in front of them, and it might well be true. For the sake of caution, they had to take it seriously.
"Let's head back first," Clark said, "We need to tell Bruce; he knows Shiller best. Maybe he'll have a solution."
The two returned to Mercury Base, where the members of the Justice League had already gathered. Seeing Clark and Lilith fly back in from outside was a bit of a surprise to them.
Lilith repeated to them what she had told Clark. Everyone but Bruce took on a solemn expression, but Bruce was very certain as he said,
"Although there must be some connection between Brand and Shiller, it's unlikely that one is controlling the other. Shiller's poor mental state could only be the result of his own planning, rather than an attack or coercion by someone else."
"Are you sure?" Even though Diana acknowledged that Bruce and Shiller understood each other, the matter was of great importance, and she needed evidence.
Bruce, however, explained from a different angle. He said, "If someone really did control Shiller and made his mental state this bad, then he would certainly pay a price for his foolish actions."
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, frowning.
"How did Shiller know Ted's mental state was poor?" Bruce asked.
This question hit the nail on the head. The earlier commotion had prevented everyone from considering this.
Shiller didn't get out of bed until 11:30, then, for some unknown reason, walked to the faculty cafeteria like a sleepwalker, and simply stayed in the lounge next to the cafeteria the whole time. He hadn't gone anywhere else and hadn't come into contact with Ted.
In fact, when Ted was attacked, Shiller should have been in the cafeteria building, without the chance to interact with any relevant people or events. He hadn't watched any surveillance footage, not even a photograph.
So how did he know there was something wrong with Ted's emotions?
Was it really psychic powers?
The problem was that Shiller used to at least glance at the crime scene, question the victims or bystanders, or at the very least look at a photo or surveillance footage, right?
Even if he were psychic, a magician still needed a medium, didn't he? What did he have?
Clark recalled the scene at the time and said, puzzled, "I don't know. When I called you, all he had in his hand was just a cup of coffee."
At this point, everyone realized something was wrong, and they all looked at Bruce.
"Shiller's talent is far more bizarre than you all imagine; otherwise, why would I have doubted for so many years that this thing is theology? As you can see, he makes wild guesses, but they always hit the mark."
Everyone felt puzzled, and Diana shook her head vigorously, saying, "Seriously, Bruce, I think I understand now why you didn't do well in school. There's no logic to this at all. Are you sure it isn't just a coincidence?"
"Is it a coincidence once, and still a coincidence a hundred times, a thousand times?"
Clark continued, "Then what does this have to do with you saying it's impossible someone is controlling Shiller?"
"The worse Shiller's mental state gets, the higher his perception accuracy becomes," Bruce said. "If someone really could probe into his psychic battlefield, they would understand this point, so allowing his mental state to deteriorate would be asking for trouble."
"Even though Shiller's perception has strengthened, his capacity to act has weakened," Diana pointed out, saying, "Without the ability to act, what good is perception alone?"
"It brings you closer to the truth." Bruce lowered his eyelids and said, "At the moment when he hits rock bottom, any disguise or cover becomes useless."
"Are you saying he could directly know who the behind-the-scenes manipulator is?!"
"That's right." Bruce nodded.
"Will he tell us?"
"Logically speaking, he would, as he needs our strength," Bruce said, yet he thought to himself, "But Shiller has nothing to do with logic."