I Can Read People's Comments

Chapter 73 Mia's Power

[Chapter 72 Comment]

[Xinhuan: Mia has been kidnapped in a warehouse near the academy, in no real danger because orders are to keep her alive, and protected by an illusion.]

[Adam_Balch_7324: She seems like she's going to put on a show for you]

[Hunter_Keenan_2132: I don't recall about your daughter being protected by an illusion but otherwise she is kidnapped and attempting to communicate with us through…see more]

…

Theo couldn't help but smile as he read the comments. He was still engaged in conversation with Baold when these comments caught his attention.

"Mhm? What's wrong?" Baold was puzzled by Theo's sudden change in demeanor. Why would Theo be smiling like that out of nowhere?

"Can you add this to the message?" Theo's expression turned playful, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

Meanwhile, Mia was uncertain if the message had been successfully conveyed or not. Her father had repeatedly instructed her to keep trying, hoping that her words might somehow make their way into the story.

She continued to feign sleep, her mind occupied by her father's words before he had left.

"Remember, Mia. You are strong. However, you haven't fully harnessed your power yet. When I'm gone this time, the assassins will undoubtedly try to reach you. But don't worry, they won't kill you."

"Are they even assassins if their goal isn't to kill me?" Mia tilted her head, her confusion evident.

"Of course. If we are together, they will most likely come after me, and in the process, you will inevitably become entangled in the conflict and be in danger as well. But if you are alone, it's a different scenario. Whoever is orchestrating this assassination is probably after your mother. So, they want to eliminate me, and capturing you would give them leverage."

Mia looked down, deep in thought. "Their primary target is you. But why would they only kill you? Is it connected to Mom?"

"Exactly. The one pulling the strings is likely after your mother. Hence, they want to eliminate me. But if you are alone, they will kidnap you instead of killing you outright, as it's easier to manipulate me and capture your mom if they have you."

"Ah! So, they want to force you into a certain situation by using me as leverage, then ambush you. The same applies to Mom…" Mia nodded, her understanding growing.

"Precisely. I believe that you possess the power to stand up against them. It's just that you haven't fully explored your abilities yet."

"Really? But I can only tap into my first authority and some basic abilities. Can I even defend myself against assassins? Besides, even your memories of the assassination are unclear, right?"

"Indeed. Given the unique nature of a demon, I suspect that the assassin's demon is tied to memory manipulation."

"Could he alter my memories, making me perceive him as my father or someone else?"

"Not likely. That would probably require an extended amount of time. Once they capture you, they might proceed with such manipulation to make you recognize the person behind it all as your father, thereby coercing your mother into complying with their demands."

"Ah!" Mia's realization dawned, understanding the rationale behind the kidnappers' strategy when she was alone versus when she was with her father. "But what do you mean by not fully utilizing my powers?"

"What kind of demon do you have?"

"A Prank Demon?"

"Then, what is a prank?"

"Isn't it just a playful trick or mischievous act aimed at eliciting laughter from others?" Mia replied, her head tilting in contemplation.

"Really? Think again. Are you certain that pranks are only intended to be directed at other people?"

"Huh?" Mia fell silent, a sudden comprehension washing over her. In fact, the answer was tied to her first authority, a power granted by her demon.

As she recalled that detail, Mia couldn't help but smile. She overheard the assassins conversing.

"Let me know when she wakes up. I need to carry out the procedure as per the boss's instructions. I'll step outside for a smoke," the middle-aged man stated as he walked away, a cigarette in hand.

"Yes, Sir," his subordinate replied. Once his boss had left, he couldn't help but glance at the bound girl. It was hard for him to fathom that such a young child had become entangled in this intricate web of schemes. He couldn't help but pity her.

"Still, she should be waking up soon, right?" he muttered while approaching Mia. "Impressive for the daughter of that woman, she is undeniably adorable and beautiful. Although we tried to eliminate her back then due to certain circumstances, I suppose she'll be more valuable to us alive."

The man slowly began to grasp the motivations of the individual pulling the strings behind this kidnapping plot, realizing that Mia was likely being used as leverage to achieve their goals.

Unbeknownst to him, Mia had been listening attentively the entire time. She was biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to launch a surprise attack, seizing the opportunity that had presented itself.

Cling!

The echoing cling sound reverberated through the warehouse, immediately putting the guy on edge.

"Huh?" His attention snapped to Mia, thinking that she might have awoken. Yet, it was her keychain, hanging precariously from her skirt pocket, that had produced the sound.

"What's this?" His confusion led him to reach for the keychain, examining it. The apparent innocence of a child, coupled with the assumption that her powers hadn't fully developed, had caused him to let his guard down somewhat.

However, as he picked up the keychain and brought it closer to his eyes, an unexpected occurrence transpired. The keychain abruptly cracked.

"Huh?!" Alarmed, he attempted to discard the keychain, but before he could react, it exploded.

Cling!

The keychain, it seemed, had been made of glass. The explosion sent shards of glass hurtling toward him.

"Ah!" He instinctively shut his eyes, his right eye meeting the sharp edge of a glass fragment. "Aaaahhhh!"

His pained cry drew the attention of the middle-aged man outside.

"What's happening?!" He hurried back into the warehouse to investigate the commotion, only to find a teddy bear seated on Mia's lap. The bear gazed at him before playfully turning away.

"This isn't good!" Displaying his experience, the middle-aged man deduced that Mia had indeed been awake and had fabricated this opportunity while feigning sleep. He swiftly lunged forward in a bid to restrain her.

However, a teddy bear seated on her lap clapped its stuffed hands, causing an explosion of thick, pink smoke that rapidly enveloped the warehouse.

The middle-aged man forged ahead through the smoke, knowing Mia couldn't escape due to her bindings. Upon reaching her supposed location, however, he was confronted by an empty spot where she had been moments ago.

"Tsk." The middle-aged man swiped his hand through the air, creating a gust of wind with his essence to disperse the smoke. Simultaneously, he called out, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. Give me a moment to recover my right eye," his subordinate replied.

As the smoke cleared, they observed Mia on the opposite end of the warehouse, flanked by two life-sized teddy bears that appeared to be assisting in untying her.

"What? Are these teddy bears part of her power? But how can this be? That rope is designed to nullify her powers, rendering her unable to utilize them," they murmured, utterly puzzled.

Determined not to let Mia escape, the middle-aged man gave chase. Her sudden release from the restraints was unexpected and potentially problematic. Moreover, Mia seemed to be struggling with untying herself, and he intended to capitalize on that.

"Ah!" Mia directed a taunting gaze at the middle-aged man, playfully sticking out her tongue. "It's time to shine!"

"Huh?!" The middle-aged man, preoccupied with the two teddy bears, hadn't anticipated Mia's sudden escape from her bindings. To his astonishment, the thick rope seemed to have been effortlessly sliced into fragments.

The scene shocked them; after all, the quality of the rope suggested that it should have been sturdy enough to withstand such an escape attempt.

Mia then extended her hands, which had been bound behind her back all along. Surprisingly, they were encased in the paws of her teddy bear as if she were wearing boxing gloves.

"What?!" The middle-aged man was taken aback. However, before he could react, Mia capitalized on his momentary bewilderment, landing a punch on his side.

"Prank Punch!" Mia exclaimed, her lips curling into a smirk.

"!!!" The middle-aged man hadn't expected Mia to deliver such a forceful blow. The power behind her punch was more than sufficient to send him hurtling backward.

He crashed into the warehouse wall with a resounding bang.

"Ugh." Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists in an attempt to bear the pain.

"Hehehe! Bullseye!" Mia gleefully celebrated her successful punch. "Prepare yourselves—I'm taking you all down!"

"Boss! You brat!" Enraged, the young man charged at Mia, intent on retaliating for the chaos she had wrought.

Undeterred, Mia raised her fist and struck back, unafraid of her opponent.

Unexpectedly, an odd sensation pulsed through Mia's heart. It was an unfamiliar glitch, causing her to momentarily hesitate in her punch.

"Huh?!" Baffled, Mia found herself paralyzed by this strange sensation. Unfortunately, her opponent capitalized on her moment of confusion, swiftly delivering a kick to her stomach.

Mia was sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the opposite wall. However, her landing was softened by the teddy bear stuffing that cushioned the impact.

Mia glanced to the side, pinpointing the source of her earlier emotional turmoil as originating from the middle-aged man. While her memories hadn't been tampered with, her feelings had been manipulated, resulting in her momentary hesitation. It appeared that this middle-aged man possessed authority over memories, emotions, and even sensations, depending on which power he wielded.

With the middle-aged man on his feet and releasing his essence to manipulate Mia, the young man was hastening toward her to capture her.

However, Mia was far from an easy target.

As the young man closed in, Mia struck the ground with her fist.

In an instant, the teddy bear paw exploded once again, shrouding the area in a pink haze. But this time, the young man was ready. With a clap of his hand, he generated a shockwave of his essence to disperse the smoke, preventing Mia's escape.

As the smoke dissipated, the young man was confronted by an astonishing sight: a five-meter-tall teddy bear looming before him. Mia had employed the pink smoke to obscure the bear's appearance.

Most strikingly, the bear was brandishing a toy hammer. The handle of the hammer was a cheery yellow, and its two rubber-tipped ends resembled a child's toy. But emblazoned upon it were the characters "10T," an abbreviation signifying ten tonnes.

The bear swung the hammer, smashing it against the young man.

"Watch out, don't get hit!" The middle-aged man sensed the peril and urgently warned his comrade.

Swiftly, the young man flung himself aside, evading the hammer's impact. Just as the middle-aged man had intimated, the hammer cracked the concrete beneath, as if an authentic ten-tonne instrument had struck the ground.

"Haha! Recognize this?!" Mia's voice echoed from above. Her descent lacked the opportunity to sow doubt. "This is my first authority: Deception! If you think it's correct, it'll be incorrect, and vice versa. Also, the weight behind this fist? Ten tonnes, just like the hammer! Brace yourself!"

"!!!" The young man struggled to comprehend Mia's words, but he instinctively rolled across the ground a few times to avoid her fist. As Mia's punch met the ground, the concrete crumbled in response to the colossal force, mirroring the earlier impact of the toy hammer.

Realizing her punch had missed, Mia immediately gave chase to the young man, seeking to neutralize him before the middle-aged man could intervene.

"Quick, believe that the weight isn't ten tonnes!" The middle-aged man's shout served as a warning to his subordinate.

"Even in the midst of a fight, you're still just a kid, revealing your own secret so thoughtlessly!" The young man smirked, capitalizing on the revealed knowledge to counter Mia's abilities.

Yet, to his dismay, as Mia's fist connected with his face, it distorted his features and launched him into the nearby wall.

Mia regarded him oddly, quipping, "I told you about my ability because if you believe my ability is like that, then it's not."

The young man had assumed that he could negate the weight's influence by exploiting Mia's confession. However, by trusting that Mia's first authority allowed him to alter the weight through his belief, he unknowingly triggered the authority which ultimately invalidated his thoughts. He found himself tricked by the very description he'd relied upon.

Mia stuck out her tongue and teased, "Idiot."