Before his muzzle could even rise thirty degrees.
Alice had already closed in.
Her figure was so fast it left only a gray afterimage.
A slender yet powerful hand, like an iron pincer, precisely gripped the wrist of the man with the mohawk holding the gun.
Her thumb pressed into the joint's pressure point, and she twisted down with force.
"Snap."
The crisp sound of bone cracking rang out again.
"Ah!"
The man with the mohawk cried out in pain, his fingers loosening uncontrollably, and the black pistol clattered to the ground.
Alice snatched the gun with her left hand, raised her right arm, and slammed her elbow like a heavy hammer directly into the chin of the man with the mohawk.
"Bang!"
The force of this strike was shockingly high; the man with the mohawk felt as if his chin had been shattered by a speeding truck.
Several teeth flew out mixed with blood, his brain went blank instantly, even the pain sensation vanished temporarily, and he fell straight backward, crashing heavily into the mud.
Everything happened too fast.
From Alice's appearance to the three big men falling to the ground, it was less than three seconds.
The last thug was completely terrified.
He was holding a butterfly knife he had been using to trim his nails earlier, and now the knife was shaking in his hand like an electric toothbrush.
"Don't, don't come over, I have a knife, I will kill, I swear, I really will kill."
He waved the non-threatening little knife while trembling, screaming incoherently, and backing away step by step until his back hit the cold brick wall.
Alice tilted her head.
The fox mask cast a long shadow under the light, and those red eyes narrowed into slits, as if silently mocking his powerlessness.
She didn't speak, just took a sudden step forward.
This simple step was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"Aaaaaah..."
The thug screamed, threw the knife on the ground, and turned to run.
He scrambled away, not even having the courage to look back.
Alice didn't chase him; she just bent down to pick up the scattered banknotes on the ground.
She crouched down again and quickly searched the three men on the ground.
Done, she quickly counted it up.
"Two thousand eight hundred and twenty dollars."
Alice recited the number in her heart, and her originally cold eyes finally rippled.
Car repairs cost eight hundred, and next month's rent is twelve hundred.
The remaining eight hundred plus is enough to buy Aunt Sarah a pair of new Nurse shoes and add a second-hand window air conditioner to the house.
Alice folded the money neatly, stuffed it into the deep zippered pocket of her sweatpants, then straightened up and took one last look at the three criminals lying on the ground.
The man with the mohawk was spitting blood foam, and the skinny monkey was convulsing while clutching his leg.
"Thank you for your generous donation, gentlemen."
From under the fox mask came a voice that was deliberately lowered, somewhat hoarse and distorted.
The next second, she recited in her heart again.
"Switch character card—Kato Megumi."
"Hum."
The World shifted again.
The figure that had just displayed terrifying Mikasa Ackerman-level combat power, that suffocating sense of oppression, dissipated instantly.
The masked figure became blurry and plain again under the dim streetlight, until it seemed to melt into the air, becoming the most inconspicuous part of this dirty alley.
By the time Alice returned to the attic in Forest Hills, it was 1:10 AM.
She took off the frightening mask and the gray sportswear stained with dust and a hint of blood.
She carefully wrapped these items in an opaque black garbage bag, stuffed them into an empty cardboard box, and pushed it under the bed.
Then she quietly went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.
After changing into cotton pajamas with a teddy bear pattern, she turned back into that well-behaved, quiet high school student with clear eyes.
In the living room, Aunt Sarah was already curled up on the sofa, asleep.
Even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed, as if countless bills were chasing her in her dreams.
Alice walked to her side, carefully opened Aunt Sarah's cheap handbag, which had severely worn-out leather, and stuffed a roll of banknotes into the compartment.
Tomorrow morning, when Aunt Sarah wakes up and discovers this "huge sum" that appeared out of thin air in her bag, she might be panicked, confused, or even think she hasn't woken up yet.
She might neurotically ask Alice at the breakfast table if a fairy had visited.
But in this chaotic New York, in this city where everyone has secrets and miracles coexist with disasters, for a woman driven to the brink by life, she would probably eventually accept this as God's mercy.
Then, while crying and thanking the Lord, she would go to fix the Corolla they relied on for a living, pay the rent, and let this home continue to breathe.
That was enough.
Alice looked at Aunt Sarah's tired sleeping face, brought out a thin blanket from the room, and gently covered her stomach with it.
Tonight, there should be a good dream.
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