At midnight, the streets of Forest Hills had already fallen into a deep slumber.
Occasionally, the cry of a stray cat would pierce the silence, only to be immediately swallowed by the heavy night.
A black shadow swept across the rooftops of the low-rise apartment complex.
Running silently across the staggered roof tiles, Alice skillfully vaulted over the parapet of the apartment building and slipped into the attic skylight.
The attic remained stiflingly hot, with visible dust particles floating in the air, performing silent Brownian motion within the beam of pale moonlight streaming in from the skylight.
"Whew..."
Alice let out a long, weary breath and took off the red and white fox mask, revealing her delicate face, which was slightly flushed from intense physical exertion and an adrenaline spike.
On her forehead, fine beads of sweat gathered into streams, sliding down her high bridge of the nose and full cheeks before dripping into the hollow of her collarbone.
A few strands of black hair were soaked with sweat, clinging messily to her temples, revealing a unique, sharp intensity.
"System, deactivate character card—Mikasa Ackerman."
As her thought moved, the explosive power that filled her limbs and bones, seemingly capable of tearing steel apart, receded rapidly like an ebbing tide.
The sense of emptiness from losing that support of strength struck her instantly.
Her originally light body became heavy, her tensed muscles turned sore, and even her breathing became ragged.
Alice rubbed her sore calves and gave a bitter smile: "This feeling of going from luxury to frugality is really annoying."
She forced her exhausted body to stand up, dragged a cardboard box from under the cot, grabbed a change of clothes, and went down from the attic.
Cold water gushed from the showerhead, the stimulation gradually cooling her consciousness down from the post-combat excitement.
Ten minutes later, Alice walked out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair.
At this moment, she had completely shed all her disguises.
She was wearing a cotton pajama set printed with adorable cartoon bears, the pant legs slightly too long, bunching loosely around her ankles.
On her feet were a pair of fuzzy pink slippers that Aunt Sarah had bought during a sale at Walmart.
Alice sat cross-legged on the cot, barefoot.
Swish!
The zipper of the duffel bag was yanked open, revealing rolls of green banknotes casually bound with rubber bands.
Franklin's stern portrait looked so kind and adorable under the light.
In this World, there are not many scents more intoxicating or more reassuring than this.
Alice took a deep breath and began to count the loot.
There was no complex counting technique; it was just the most primitive method of counting them one by one.
This was a form of enjoyment, the best consolation for risking her life to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
"Ten thousand... twenty thousand... fifty thousand..."
Time slipped away through her fingertips, and the moon outside the window gradually rose higher.
Finally, the last banknote was gathered and neatly stacked.
"A total of one hundred fifty-two thousand four hundred and thirty-two dollars."
Alice looked at the money spread out on the bed and muttered to herself.
This was definitely a huge sum of money.
It was enough to buy a slightly older co-op apartment in Forest Hills in full, or to pick up a top-trim Porsche 911 to cruise through Times Square.
Even for daily expenses, it would be enough for an average working-class family to live comfortably for three or four years.
If this were a peaceful and stable World, Alice might consider saving this money as her college fund, or investing in Apple stock before it took off.
But now?
She looked up at the window.
Deep within the seemingly calm night sky, too many horrors were hidden.
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