Stanley accidentally picked up Loki's prank mask when he mistakenly thought someone had fallen into the river and went down to "save" them.
However, he didn't know that this magical mask would "come alive" at night.
At this moment, having slept in, he still thought that teaching the hooligans a lesson and "robbing" the bank last night were just a dream.
As mentioned before, this mask has the power to bewitch people. It allowed Stanley, normally a timid good-natured man, to release his suppressed personality and become incredibly "arrogant" after putting it on.
'What a wonderful dream!'
Just waking up, Stanley couldn't help but smile as he recalled the exhilarating scenes from his "dream" last night.
Then, he curiously rubbed the strange mask by his pillow, which he had brought back as a souvenir.
Once a person's nerves are suppressed for too long without release, negative emotions will continuously accumulate. If this continues for a long time, the strained nerves will eventually break down.
For Stanley, this mask was equivalent to helping him fully "release" the negative emotions accumulated in his real life through his "dream."
However, when Stanley, in a good mood, opened his wardrobe to change clothes, a vast amount of American dollars scattered out of the closet.
Nearly a small target's worth of cash caused Stanley's brain to almost short-circuit.
Only then did he realize that everything last night didn't seem to be a dream.
"Knock knock...knock..."
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Feeling guilty, Stanley quickly shoved the scattered American dollars into the wardrobe and then carefully closed the cabinet door.
Still feeling insecure, he went and hid the magical mask under his pillow.
After doing all this, he forced himself to appear calm and went to the door, asking, "Who is it?"
"FBI Detectives, we suspect you're involved in a bank robbery. Please open the door for inspection now." Detective Peter's voice came from outside the door.
"I, I don't know anything about a robbery!!" Hearing the detective at the door, Stanley was so scared his legs turned to jelly.
However, knowing he couldn't avoid it, he helplessly opened the door.
"Excuse me, do you recognize this half-tie?" Detective Peter began his inquiry in a businesslike manner.
The half-tie he held, a gaudy "evidence," was an accessory tie from a Zoot suit, popular in the 1940s.
A Zoot suit specifically refers to a long top with bright colors, high-waisted pants with narrow cuffs, a wide lapel, thick padding, and broad shoulders.
People who owned such clothes, suitable for performance on stage, were usually introverted exhibitionists at heart.
"This..." Looking at the familiar half-tie in Detective Peter's hand, Stanley's palms were sweating with nervousness.
Suddenly, he had a "flash of inspiration" and exaggeratedly said, "Oh, great! Did you find the person who stole my clothes? I just lost a suit last night—"
However, Stanley probably didn't realize that when he lied, his eyes would involuntarily dart to the right, and he would make constant small movements.
"So you admit that this half-tie is yours." The experienced Detective Peter was not fooled by Stanley. He said with a serious expression, "Sorry, to clear your name, we need to search your room!"
Loki's prank mask possesses powerful magic at night, but during the day, this ability is suppressed to a minimum.
Therefore, at this moment, it cannot help Stanley resolve his current predicament.
A group of detectives, led by Peter, forcibly entered Stanley's small room.
A typical single man's room, small in space, with clutter everywhere.
Mike, who followed behind, had been observing Stanley since the door opened. After all this time, no characteristic light cluster had burst from him.
This situation suggests that the "magic" likely belongs to the mask itself, rather than the person who obtained the mask.
Next, Mike, who entered the room with the detectives, followed his intuition to the single bed by the window.
On the other side, the detectives led by Peter walked towards the most prominent wardrobe in the room.
Seeing that his "secret" was about to be revealed, Stanley looked nervously from side to side, already on the verge of collapse.
Whoosh—
Feeling something unusual on the pillow, Mike instantly threw back the memory foam pillow. However, to his disappointment, there was nothing on the pillow's surface.
Clearly, the mask with prank abilities did not want to be found at the moment.
Stanley, who had been watching this side, was also startled by Mike's action of flipping the pillow at the same time.
When he saw that there was nothing under the pillow, he let out a sigh of relief, his face showing the expression of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.
However, the matter was not over yet.
On the other side, Detective Peter, who had gone to the wardrobe, had already gripped the cabinet doors, ready to open the wardrobe.
Immediately, Stanley, who hadn't even had time to celebrate his escape, felt cold sweat break out on his forehead again.
...
Just then, an old lady wearing a plump housecoat arrived at the doorway.
"Stanley, I've told you many times not to bring strangers into my house!!!" The old lady, with a comically large nose and a face full of wrinkles, spoke with a sharp and acrimonious tone.
Her voice also made Detective Peter stop his actions.
"Sorry, Mrs. Piman—"
Stanley, once again grateful for his escape, had never found his landlady so adorable.
He forced a flattering smile and explained to the old lady, "They are from the FBI, here to investigate a bank robbery case. They didn't intend to cause trouble."
"I don't care about the FBI, or any bank..." Mrs. Piman, short in stature but with great presence, confronted Detective Peter, who seemed most like the leader, and demanded, "Don't think I don't understand the law. You've trespassed into my house without cause. Do you have a search warrant?"
Targeted by the old lady, Detective Peter helplessly replied, "Because the bank robbery was an emergency, the search warrant is still being processed. If you want to see it, I'll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow."
The Broadway district is definitely considered a wealthy area in New York City.
A bank robbery here has a very serious impact.
Therefore, to appease the public, Detective Peter was ordered to solve the case within three days.
Short on time, heavy on tasks.
Under these circumstances, Detective Peter wanted to solve the bank robbery case quickly, but following normal procedures would simply not be fast enough.
"No search warrant, then please leave my house." Mrs. Piman brought out her hand, which she had been hiding behind her back, revealing a long-barreled shotgun, and shouted sternly, "Don't think I'm senile, I used to live in Florida when I was young!!"
This was a naked threat—
At the same time, it was also a case of one thing conquering another.
It should be known that in America, if someone trespasses into private property without cause, the owner has the right to "self-defense."
Although Mrs. Piman's attitude was not good, her request was very reasonable to Detective Peter.
...
Before long, Detective Peter, who had been driven out of the house by the old lady, was left with only helplessness.
"Captain, next we're going to investigate the Broadway underground district. Do you still want to come along?" The Detective, having composed himself, prepared to investigate the case from a different angle.
According to bank surveillance, on the day of the bank robbery, besides the "Green-Faced Bandit," there was another group of people.
According to internal police data, the identity of that group of people was members of the Broadway underground gang.
If those people could be arrested and brought to justice, the Broadway bank robbery case would be considered accounted for.
"I won't bother you anymore, good luck." Mike had already confirmed that Stanley was the "Mask" from his impression, so he naturally wouldn't go to other places to do useless work.
After saying goodbye to the FBI agents, Mike called the John Wick trio on his way back to his luxurious villa.
He asked them to keep an eye on Stanley for the next few days.
Once the Green-Faced Bandit made a move, they were to notify him immediately.