Chapter 64: My Name is Aniya Forger, I am a Mutant (Please follow for updates)

, The Genie Starting from Marvel

While Blade was full of questions, Aniya propped herself up on the bed and picked up the glass of water on the nightstand. "What did you put in this?"

"Uh..." Blade wondered how to explain it. If he told the truth, would it affect her condition? If he lied, would he end up calling the police? But if he were to lie, what could he possibly say he added to it?

While Blade was hesitating, Aniya lifted the glass and took a big gulp.

*Haa~* Aniya closed her eyes, a soft hum escaping her throat, her hair fluttering slightly at her temples.

*I hope this helps with her depression, * Blade thought to himself.

Aniya snapped her eyes open and looked at Blade, confused. "Who told you I have depression?"

*Eh? That psychologist said so, * Blade thought.

"Quack! Definitely a quack! Aniya is very healthy right now, super healthy!" Aniya retorted, dissatisfied with Blade's thoughts.

*But you didn't smile at all while lying in bed during the day. Isn't that a sign of depression? * Blade continued, feeling that his observations of Aniya matched the descriptions of depressed patients online.

"So you were secretly watching Aniya, hehe~" Aniya first giggled, then reached out and pulled back the thin blanket covering her, revealing her waist where a wound had yet to fully heal.

"It hurts whenever I smile because it pulls on the wound. Besides, who just sits around giggling like an idiot when they're bored? Aniya isn't a fool."

Listening to Aniya's explanation, Blade scratched his head. It actually made a lot of sense.

*That's true... What garbage on the internet. Looking up medical issues online really isn't reliable! * Blade nodded, then finally realized something: *Wait, did I just say all those thoughts out loud?! *

"Nope~" Aniya had a mischievous grin on her face, the look of someone whose prank had succeeded. She glanced at the hospital room door, and seeing no one through the glass, she beckoned Blade closer.

Once Blade leaned in, Aniya whispered, "I'll tell you a secret: Aniya has a superpower. I can read minds~"

"Read minds?!" Blade was shocked, but suddenly everything made sense.

Aniya wasn't some naive airhead; she had read Blade's thoughts to confirm he was trustworthy before finally taking those actions. But if she could read minds, how did she get caught by vampires in the first place?

Blade was about to ask, but suddenly noticed Aniya's eyes filled with worry, as if she were afraid that knowing this secret would make Blade choose to stay away.

*Read away. I have nothing I can't tell you, * Blade thought deliberately.

Aniya "heard" this, and her whole face lit up. That brilliant smile, even without a sound, was like the morning sun.

"Do you want to hear Aniya's story?" Aniya asked Blade.

"Of course, if you're willing to tell it." Blade sat down on the stool by the bed.

Aniya thought for a moment about where to start. As she pondered, her toes danced playfully up and down.

"Aniya discovered this ability when I was three. It was probably an artificially induced superpower."

Aniya rested her hands behind her head, recalling the memories of that time, "The laboratory Aniya was in seemed to be specifically conducting experiments on genetically mutated humans, super soldiers, and the stimulation of special abilities."

"Aniya was just one of the test subjects."

Blade didn't know what expression to make. The world was never short of human experiments, but he hadn't expected Aniya to be one of the victims.

"It's okay, don't worry about me. Aniya is still very lucky," Aniya said, turning the tables to comfort Blade, before continuing her story.

"At the time, the researchers were very excited when they discovered I could read minds. They thought they were close to creating mutants capable of mental control. But later, no matter what they did, Aniya could only read minds, and the ability was very unstable at the time."

"Later, they decided to subject Aniya to secondary genetic induction, a technique with a mortality rate as high as 99.9%."

"Just as the experiment was about to begin, Aniya's dear father couldn't stand it anymore. He defied orders and teamed up with Aniya's mother—oh, they weren't married yet at the time—and they destroyed that laboratory together and rescued Aniya."

"Because they had both violated the wishes of the organizations behind them, Father and Mother couldn't go back. In the end, they decided to form a small family with Aniya and move somewhere else to live."

"Wow..." Blade exclaimed, "Aniya is amazing, and Aniya's parents are also very impressive."

"That's right. I'll tell you a secret, but you're not allowed to tell anyone else," Aniya whispered into Blade's ear. "Father was the strongest spy at the time, codenamed Twilight, and Mother was the strongest assassin, codenamed Thorn Princess."

This family was a bit complicated—assassins, spies, mutants. What a hodgepodge!

"You're not allowed to call Aniya a hodgepodge!" Aniya gave Blade's arm a light tap.

"Fine, I won't say it again. By the way, Aniya, since you have this ability, how did you get caught by the vampires?" Blade asked curiously.

"Because my ability was turned off at the time," Aniya began to explain, propping her chin up. "Father said that mind-reading is a terrifying ability—terrifying for yourself and terrifying for others. So, before rescuing Aniya, he went to the database and got the information for Aniya's ability suppressant."

"After taking the suppressant, Aniya's state is simulated to be like it is during a new moon. During a new moon, Aniya's ability disappears. But this suppressant needs to be taken every so often."

Blade finally understood. Aniya must have been caught while the suppressant was still in effect.

"Actually, Father helped me bring some suppressant a few days ago, but after drinking that mouthful of water... eh, it seems to have suddenly stopped working." Aniya continued.

"Uh... I'm sorry. It was my misunderstanding; I acted on my own initiative." Blade apologized.

It was easy to imagine how terrifying it would be to have mind-reading that couldn't be controlled at any time. The darkness at the bottom of the human heart is an abyss; staring into that abyss, one would eventually find the abyss staring back.

"It's okay, you meant well. And besides, there isn't just an abyss at the bottom of the human heart; there's also a heaven." Aniya looked Blade straight in the eyes and said to him, word for word.

It's also known that how terrible it is to read minds uncontrollably anytime, anywhere. The darkness at the bottom of the human heart is an abyss. Staring at this abyss, sooner or later, one will discover that the abyss is also staring at oneself.

"It's okay, you're well-intentioned, and besides, there is not only an abyss at the bottom of the human heart, but also a heaven." Aniya looked into Blade's eyes and said to him word by word.