An Encounter Hidden in a British Town (Part 2)

As night settled over the pastoral British town,

warm lights glowed against honey-colored walls, illuminating the streets and bakery windows,

lending a cozy air to this town of fewer than ninety thousand people as evening fell, as though light musical notes could be heard.

But on a secluded street beyond the reach of the few cameras at the intersections, they were avoiding pursuers who had already infiltrated the town and were searching the streets.

Without caring whether sprinting around in mascot costumes in the middle of the night would frighten any passersby unlucky enough to see them,

the "bear mascot" directly carried his good friend and leaped through the second floor of an unlit building, pushed open a door, and hid in an empty room that felt unoccupied.

Then his steps slowed, and he staggered. Together with the figure he set down from his arms, they both relaxed against the wall and collapsed onto the floor near the doorway.

He struggled to pull off the enormous mascot head and lay back, gasping for breath.

"Haah... huff... Gou Qi, shouldn't you lose some weight? Carrying you just now... I nearly got stuck on top of that wall."

"Ah!? Hah... haaah... Senior... you're... the first person who's ever told me to lose weight. And ptooey! You're the one who's a Gou Qi!"

Thinking they no longer had to worry about being discovered for the moment, Fang Ran and Tang Bing, both dressed in mascot costumes, held their oversized heads in their arms, their flushed faces making them look as though they had just done something "strenuous."

Though it really was because of strenuous exercise that they both slumped against the wall in the same pose, panting heavily.

It had been manageable on his own, but carrying someone while jumping to the second