"Boss, Stanley received an invitation and looks like he's getting ready to head out..."
Around noon on Saturday, just as Mike was getting ready to head over to Heiress Caroline's place for their "date," he received a call from John.
Up to this point, the John Wick trio had been staking out Stanley's apartment for a full twenty-four hours.
Because of the Broadway bank robbery, Stanley, being a low-level clerk at that very bank, hadn't dared to set foot outside his apartment all day.
"Keep eyes on the target. I'll be there right away..."
Hearing the report, Mike immediately altered his plans.
The power of Loki's Mask was simply too enticing to pass up.
And the neighborhood Stanley lived in wasn't far from Mike's luxury mansion.
About ten minutes later, riding in the Tesla Roadster driven by Needy, Mike met up with the John Wick trio in the Broadway district.
"What's the situation?"
Mike noticed that there was absolutely zero movement around Stanley's apartment building.
"We don't have all the details. All we know is that around noon, a woman hand-delivered an invitation to him..."
John replied, shaking his head.
Tina Carlyle was a breathtakingly gorgeous woman, currently entangled with the Broadway underground syndicate. To put it another way, she was essentially a member of the gang.
Acting on orders from the gang's underboss, Dorian, she had previously cased the Broadway bank before the robbery. And the person who had assisted her at the bank was none other than Stanley.
The outwardly stiff but inwardly "repressed" bank clerk was instantly mesmerized by the beautiful woman standing before him.
Using Stanley as an unwitting "cover," the gang's plan to rob the bank had progressed smoothly.
But right in the middle of Dorian executing the heist, a green-faced freak suddenly crashed the party and stole their loot out from under them.
Now, it wasn't just the FBI investigating the [Green-Faced Bandit]; Dorian's underground syndicate was actively hunting down the guy who had ripped them off, too.
And Stanley, having been involved in the lead-up, naturally became one of Dorian's prime suspects.
The invitation Stanley had just received was essentially the gang testing the waters.
Completely oblivious to the danger, Stanley was currently thrilled to have received an invitation from Tina.
The [Coco Bongo] Club!
It was a high-end, exclusive nightclub, and the exact address printed on the invitation.
Without the mask on, Stanley's naturally introverted personality made him agonizingly indecisive about whether he should actually go to a place like a nightclub.
But ultimately, the temptation of the beautiful woman conquered his fear.
...
"If you really have magic powers, please, just help me out one more time~"
As evening approached, Stanley picked up the bizarre mask he suspected was magical.
As the mask slowly neared his face...
A miniature whirlwind erupted, and Stanley transformed into a bizarre freak with a bright green head.
He now sported a flawless set of oversized, pearly white teeth, and his expression radiated absolute, unfiltered confidence.
With another spin, the whirlwind transformed his ratty pajamas into an outrageously loud, brightly colored zoot suit.
"Smokin'! That's what I'm talkin' about~"
Standing in front of the mirror, Stanley flirtatiously ran a comb over his perfectly smooth, bright green bald head.
Clearly, he was incredibly satisfied with his new look.
Then, popping a bright yellow fedora onto his head, he strutted out of his apartment building with the exaggerated swagger of a theatrical stage actor.
With a single snap of his fingers...
A beat-up clunker parked on the street instantly morphed into a luxurious, stretch Lincoln limousine.
Having performed this "miracle," Stanley elegantly adjusted his suit before smoothly sliding into the Lincoln and cruising toward the [Coco Bongo] Club.
"So cool~"
Watching the luxury Lincoln glide past from his hiding spot on the street, Wesley—who hadn't exactly seen much of the world—stared so hard his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
What Wesley likely didn't realize was that while he was busy marveling at the luxury of the Lincoln, his brain completely failed to register that a [Green-Faced Freak] turning a junker into a limo was fundamentally impossible.
This was exactly the mind-bewitching power of Loki's Mask: subtly and unconsciously "influencing" the perceptions of anyone around it.
"Boss, that guy is definitely not normal. Should we tail him?"
John, possessing much stronger mental fortitude, sensed that something was deeply wrong.
Similarly, Needy and Cross hadn't been completely "bewitched" either, though they both looked slightly dazed.
The only reason the three of them were able to maintain their "lucidity" was probably because Stanley, wearing the mask, hadn't actually noticed Mike's group staking him out.
The mask's magic simply hadn't been fully directed at them.
As for Wesley's "special" condition? You could only chalk that up to him being way too green.
"Keep tailing him. We're going to be experiencing a lot of these reality-defying events from now on."
Mike, having waited almost half the afternoon, had been anticipating exactly this.
Besides, dealing with supernatural events was exactly what his team was built for. This was the perfect opportunity for the John Wick trio to get some exposure and start adapting.
Meanwhile, outside the [Coco Bongo] nightclub, gang underboss Dorian was currently greeting guests.
This highly exclusive entertainment venue was actually a front operated by the Broadway syndicate.
By the time Mike's crew arrived, Stanley and Dorian were nowhere to be seen outside the club.
However, parked just down the street from the nightclub were several unmarked police cruisers.
It seemed Lieutenant Kellaway's investigation had led him straight to Dorian.
"You three stay out here and keep watch. I'll call for backup if I need it."
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, Mike ordered the John Wick trio to remain outside.
Wesley clearly had a problem with being left out, but after catching a stern glare from his dad, Cross, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Having deployed the trio, Mike took Needy and walked straight up to the entrance of the nightclub.
Seeing them arrive in a luxury sports car, the gang members working the door didn't give them any trouble.
Inside the extravagant [Coco Bongo] Club, smooth blues music played under dim, atmospheric lighting. A massive stage area dominated the front of the main hall.
After stepping inside, Mike ordered two wildly overpriced glasses of red wine and led Needy to a table near the stage.
At the same time, Mike spotted the [Green-Faced Freak], Stanley, sitting quietly in a shadowed corner booth.
Meanwhile, in a private room just off the stage, Dorian was issuing strict orders to Tina.
"I don't care how you do it, but tonight, you need to find out everything about that [Green-Faced Freak's] secret."
Seeing his enemy in the flesh had sent Dorian into a blind rage. Spotting the [Freak's] arrival, he wanted nothing more than to instantly hack the freak who had ruined his heist into a million pieces.
But because the bizarre abilities the freak had displayed were simply too unnatural, Dorian didn't dare make a reckless move until he figured out what he was actually dealing with.
"I'll do my best..."
Tina replied, looking deeply uncomfortable. "But after this is done, I expect you to stay out of my life for good."
From the looks of it, Dorian had some serious leverage over her, and she desperately wanted out of the gang's orbit.
"Relax. As long as you pull this off tonight, we're completely even..."
Dorian smiled, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. "Whatever you decide to do after this is none of my business."
"I hope you keep your word!"
Even with his promise, Tina still looked uneasy.
Having dealt with the syndicate long enough, she knew full well that some men's promises weren't worth the breath it took to say them.
...
As the night wore on, the club's main floor gradually filled to capacity.
Right at that moment, the stage lights flared, and Tina, wearing a stunning, silver sequined dress, stepped into the dazzling spotlight.
Backlit by the stage lights, she looked like a goddess stepping straight out of a painting.
As the sultry, slow tempo of the cabaret music began, she moved like a sprite in the night, stretching and contorting her body with total freedom.
You had to admit, this style of Broadway cabaret performance could be incredibly "seductive."
Almost instantly, the mesmerized audience erupted into a chorus of whistles and "wolf howls."
In the corner, the [Green-Faced Freak] Stanley literally transformed his head into an actual "wolf."
Among the chorus of "wolf howls," his was undeniably the loudest.
"Fascinating~"
Watching the woman perform on stage, Mike smiled, looking forward to a good show.
With his [Eavesdropping on Women's Hearts] ability, he was picking up on some incredibly interesting things going through her mind.