When the goal is not to uncover the truth but to find weaknesses, Tim's way of thinking can immediately switch to the side of psychopathy. Everything has a weakness, and superpower users are no exception.
What is Brand's weakness?
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the enemy hunting him down. But that is precisely the option that should be ruled out first.
The reason is simple. In the entire matter, Tim has control over too few things. If he uses this as an entry point, the only threat he can wield is not taking Brand to see Professor Shearer. But he cannot control Brand's enemies, nor can he control Professor Shearer, let alone Brainiac.
If Brainiac decides to bring Brand to see Professor Shearer, Tim doesn't even need to think about sending him there. Tim also cannot prevent Brainiac from mobilizing other police officers to complete the task. He can't possibly go against the entire Gotham Police Department.
And whether or not to protect Brand is also not Tim's decision to make. Shearer surely already has an opinion on this, and convincing him now would definitely be too late.
As for that mysterious enemy, it's even worse; Tim knows nothing about him, not to mention controlling when he would strike to pressure Brand.
In summary, being hunted seems like the biggest weakness, but in reality, it's unusable. Blind utilization is a step into a trap. He must find another way.
What could it be? Tim pondered carefully. Brand is not threatened by scientific means. Scientific test results do not apply. The photos are too blurry without a clear face. Another witness may have already lost their memory. The fact that he died once has no evidence, and can't be used as proof that "he's not an ordinary person, so humans have no obligation to help him."
Although he appears ordinary on the surface, guns surely are useless against him. Even if he got a big gun, combat is definitely not an option. This guy simply doesn't have a health bar.
That so-called rule he mentioned sounds interesting, but it's not something Tim can consider right now. He is still too weak, and can only rely on his own wisdom. Without prior preparation, he can't act as a robber.
While Tim was contemplating, he suddenly glimpsed a shadow fleeting past the window—he reached out again and caught that butterfly.
"Brainiac!" Tim suddenly stood up and shouted, "He's creating illusions to attack me! Protect me!"
Instantly, alarms went off inside the Gotham Police Department as countless sharp sounds erupted. Security robots stored inside the security vault were activated, with all cameras locked onto Brand.
The security robots had already charged in. They were all combat models, put inside the police department for emergencies. At this moment, everyone's hands held interstellar combat laser guns, shielding Tim behind them.
"Wait a minute, I..."
"Brainiac, monitor my brain wave readings!" Tim shouted loudly, "This is evidence of his assault on police!"
Standing behind the robot shield, Tim coldly looked at Brand. At the moment their eyes met, Tim showed a provoking smile. Then, he no longer avoided those illusions in his peripheral vision but looked straight at them.
"Warning! Warning! Brain wave readings abnormal! Brain wave readings abnormal!" Brainiac's tone even carried some panic, "Take deep breaths, Tim! I see nothing, so they must be illusions. Calm down!"
Brand's face turned very unpleasant.
"Brainiac, I've suffered a psyshock. I need to call Professor Shearer for help," Tim bared his fangs, "My head hurts, and my mind's a bit unclear, I need his assistance..."
Brainiac was about to dial the phone immediately because Tim's brain wave readings were indeed very abnormal. His face also turned pale, clearly suffering from an attack that Brainiac couldn't handle. Brainiac hadn't evolved to see illusions.
"Tim Drake!" Brand said through clenched teeth, "...we need to talk."
Tim smiled as if he were the one to kill Holmes.
"Why isn't Tim back yet?" Victor paced around the living room. After being startled awake, everyone but Shearer stayed without sleep, wanting to wait for an outcome in the living room.
Shearer had only gotten up for a while before going back to sleep. The others had no intention of disturbing him. Meanwhile, Bruce Banner, who had gone upstairs early to sleep, woke up.
"Good morning," he said, "You guys are up so early too?"
Ethan felt a bit helpless. "It's not morning at all?"
Banner yawned and said, "If it's not morning, then why are you all gathered here? Is there breakfast?"
"There's no breakfast, but there is a mysterious murder case," Ethan continued flipping through those photos. Cobblepot walked up to Victor and softly asked, "What kind of person is Brand exactly?"
"He's not human," Victor said, "He looks human but isn't actually."
"A monster wearing human skin?"
"Not in the philosophical sense," Victor emphasized, "He's a monster in the physical sense wearing human skin. Understand?"
"Then what kind of monster is he?"
"Can't say." Victor looked around and said, "That's exactly why I haven't told you the truth. Although I don't know much, one common knowledge is that in mysticism, cognition has power."
Cobblepot showed an enlightened expression, "If we know, is there a chance we'll be affected, is that what you mean?"
Victor nodded, saying, "Exactly, you just need to know he's not human."
"Then how can he be killed?" Cobblepot asked again.
"There could be many possibilities," Victor said. "Perhaps it was just a trick, something he performed to mislead us. Or maybe there's something wrong with his current body, and he had to switch."
"Wait. Could it be that Edward's condition worsened because he came to realize something?" Cobblepot's face turned cold.
"That's very likely," Victor replied. "I have always known that Brand isn't simple, but since he's friends with Shiller, and Shiller acknowledges his professional standards, I believed he wouldn't harm his patients. So I didn't expose him."
Cobblepot frowned deeply. He trusted Shiller's judgment. If Brand posed any risk to his patients, Shiller would never allow Edward to be treated by him or let Cobblepot consult him. And the fact is, Shiller didn't stop him.
Another important fact is that Edward had been doing fine previously. His symptoms were quite severe, but they were always well-controlled. Cobblepot had witnessed it firsthand. To say that Brand wasn't treating him well—that's impossible. Even the slightest negligence could have disrupted his control.
"Could it have been an accident?" Cobblepot speculated. "Brand himself might have lost control, leading to Edward's outburst..."
"We'll have to ask Edward about that," Victor said. "Let's wait a bit longer; he should wake up soon."
Edward indeed hadn't slept long. Before dawn, he woke up. After waking, his face looked less pale, and his mind seemed clear.
"Edward, are you okay?" Cobblepot asked with great concern.
"Ah, Oswald," Edward mumbled, "I came up with a new riddle the other day. Do you want to try solving it?"
Cobblepot sighed and said, "The riddle can wait. I have some questions for you."
"Go ahead and ask," Edward sat at the dining table, propping his head with his hand while his body swayed back and forth—his usual habit.
"Doctor Brand..." Cobblepot began, but Edward's expression had already changed.
"You noticed too, didn't you?" Edward asked. "You realized Doctor Brand is different. He's been replaced; he's not the same person he was."
This standard statement from a paranoid patient caught Cobblepot off guard, and he couldn't immediately decide whether Edward was having an episode or being serious.
Victor, however, noticed something and asked, "How is he different from before?"
"He doesn't treat illnesses well anymore," Edward said, lowering his eyelids. "It's completely different from before, so much worse."
Both were a bit surprised. They had expected Edward to talk about how Brand was patient before and isn't now, or how he used to solve riddles but doesn't anymore. They didn't expect Edward to comment on Brand's medical competence.
"He's very unprofessional," Edward said. "It's as if he's forgotten everything from the textbooks, even upsetting the head nurse."
The two exchanged glances. Victor said in a low voice, "This probably isn't an illusion."
"So did you kill him?" Cobblepot asked.
"What? Is he dead?" Edward asked in return.
This left the two bewildered. Wasn't Edward the one who killed him?
Victor immediately thought of something and asked, "Do you remember how you left the hospital and got here?"
"I wanted to find you guys. Someone brought me here."
"Who?"
"I don't know. It might have been that robot."
"Brainiac," Cobblepot shouted.
"He suddenly appeared at the entrance of the North District evacuation shelter. I was afraid his mental illness would cause harm, so I brought him here. But he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. From the hospital to there, no surveillance captured his image." Brainiac replied.
"His memory has been tampered with," Victor immediately concluded. "Someone took him from the hospital in advance, altered his memory to make him forget certain things, and then brought him to the North District evacuation point."
"Professor Shiller said that tampering with a psychiatric patient's memory isn't something ordinary people can do," Cobblepot paused and then continued, "but if it were his former attending physician and a monster, perhaps it could be done."
The two fell into a silent pause. Victor gently tapped the table, looking at Cobblepot, he said, "Do you know what this means?"
"If Edward really committed murder, there is no evidence now. The body is missing, the suspect has no memory, no clear photo was taken... Wait, what about the DNA test result?"
"What monster would have an accurate DNA?" Victor shook his head. "If he wants, he can easily alter his genes. Brainiac can't find an exact match."
"This means..."
The two exchanged glances and said in unison:
"There was no murder tonight."