"Stay absolutely still," Mei commanded, her voice low and tense. James, attempting to obey, unfortunately found that his bladder had chosen this exact moment to signal distress. The drone hovered just meters away, its whirring blades creating a disturbing, expensive-sounding hum.
"What… what is that thing?" James whispered, trying to keep his voice from squeaking.
"A Black Kestrel surveillance drone. They're searching for the chip," Mei replied, her focus entirely on the machine.
"But if it's looking for a microchip, why did you have to chase me for the caddy?" James whispered back. "Surely you could just..."
"The caddy was a distraction," Mei cut him off impatiently. "A charming, yet utterly disposable distraction. Now, enough questions. It's moving."
The drone slowly drifted away. Mei waited until it was completely out of sight before relaxing slightly. "Alright, Mr. James," she said, straightening her suit. "We need to get off this roof. Now. We will be using the Panda Protocol."
"The Panda Protocol?" James repeated, his eyebrows shooting up. "Does this involve a large, black-and-white mascot costume? Because I really don't think my tweed will pair well with ears."
Mei stopped, turning to face him, the expression on her face suggesting she had just smelled something truly awful. "It is a code name for a low-profile extraction route. It has nothing to do with actual pandas. It means we blend in. We move. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," James said stiffly. "Blend in. Like a teabag in boiling water. Efficient and essential."
They descended the stairwell, emerging into the kaleidoscopic chaos of a large, brightly lit shopping mall. The transition was jarring.
"Stay close," Mei commanded, melting effortlessly into the torrent of shoppers. James, on the other hand, felt like a very awkward giraffe in a herd of gazelles. He was too tall, too visibly anxious, and his dumpling-stained jacket might as well have been a neon sign reading: 'CONSPICUOUS FOREIGNER!'
As they navigated past electronics stores and designer boutiques, James watched Mei's movements—her subtle shifts in direction, her quick glances into shop windows.
"Are we being followed?" James whispered, attempting a dramatic movie whisper that came out sounding like a high-pitched sibilant hiss.
"Yes," Mei confirmed, without slowing her pace. "They'll be looking for the man in the badly-fitting, stained British jacket."
"Oh," James muttered, hugging his tweed coat tighter.
Suddenly, Mei stopped abruptly in front of a toy store window display. James, caught off guard, stumbled and knocked over a tower of boxed action figures.
"Oops! Sorry!" he mumbled, quickly trying to stack them back up.
"Leave it," Mei hissed, not taking her eyes off the display. James followed her gaze. Among a pile of brightly colored plushies, a small, fuzzy panda sat innocuously. Its left eye, however, seemed to emit a faint, rhythmic pulse of light.
"That's… a highly sophisticated-looking plush toy," James observed.
With a swift, silent move, Mei pulled a small, silver device from her sleeve. She aimed it at the panda and pressed a button. The plushie's glowing eye went dark.
"Our extraction point," Mei explained, gesturing towards a nondescript door labeled 'Employees Only' beside the toy store. "The Panda Protocol is activated. Now, move. And try not to knock anything else over."
James could only shake his head. From tea to drones to glow-in-the-dark spy pandas. He had a strong suspicion that the "Whispering Dragon" oolong was going to be the least mystical thing he encountered today.