Henry Foster smiled, as if he had seen through his thoughts. “But in this world, perseverance alone isn’t enough to get things done.” As he spoke, he made a gesture, and a few people beside him lifted Grace Thompson up from the sofa.

　　Both Eric Bennett and Grace Thompson panicked. Eric Bennett said, “What are you trying to do?”

　　Henry Foster waved his hand, signaling them to be gentle: “I have some things to discuss with this young man. Dr. Thompson, please excuse us and go into the inner room.”

　　Just like that, Grace Thompson was locked in the inner room. Once the door was locked, Henry Foster handed a cigarette to Eric Bennett and said, “To make a long story short, I want to make a deal with you. I want you to come with me to the desert, for about twelve days. You can name your price. We’ll prepare the equipment for you.”

　　Eric Bennett was in so much pain that he didn’t catch everything, only the last few words. He was stunned. What, the desert? Payment? Equipment, what equipment? He looked up and asked, “What equipment?”

　　“Desert equipment. We’ll prepare the special gear for you, just bring a few pairs of clean underwear.” Henry Foster said.

　　Eric Bennett was stunned again and asked once more, “Wait, wait, what, go to the desert?” It took him a while to process what that meant, and he wondered if he’d misheard.

　　“What desert?” Eric Bennett asked. Henry Foster replied, “The Badain Jaran Desert in the north, China’s third largest desert, in Inner Mongolia.”

　　“Why do you want me to go?” Eric Bennett felt like he was about to faint. What kind of nonsense was this? Why did he have to go to the desert? Was this supposed to be some kind of compensation trip? Eric Bennett muttered in his heart: No need to be so polite, just come with me to turn yourself in, I’ll convince the judge to give you a heavier sentence.

　　“Don’t feel so taken aback. I don’t want to bring along a burden like you either, but the situation on your back is too complicated. I’m afraid I didn’t get a good enough look just now and might have missed something. It’s more reliable to keep you with me.” The boss continued, “There’s payment for this, you can name your price.”

　　Eric Bennett gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “Better not. I don’t think I can get along with you people.”

　　Henry Foster took a backpack from behind him and unzipped it in front of Eric Bennett: “Sorry, I forgot you’re a student, maybe you don’t know the market. There’s 120,000 yuan in cash here. If you agree, you can take the money right now.”

　　Eric Bennett still shook his head. “You’re too kind, I think there’s a chance—wait, how much?” He glanced into the bag—it was full of bright red hundred-yuan bills.

　　Henry Foster made a gesture for twelve.

　　Eric Bennett frowned, shocked. Is this line of work really so lucrative? Just like that, tens of thousands, and with the previous hundred thousand, that’s 220,000 already—not a small sum. In his whole life, not just his, but probably his father’s whole life, he’d never seen so much money. But could money really be earned this easily? It seemed too easy.

　　“When you come back, you’ll get the same amount again,” Henry Foster said. Seeing Eric Bennett still so hesitant, he smiled, “You’re even more suspicious than I thought. That’s a good thing. When I was your age, I was as naive as a blank sheet of paper. Hmm, let me think how to put your mind at ease. How about this: the check I gave you earlier and this cash, you can take them both right now. Then, you write a statement about your situation, I’ll give you my information and photos, and you can leave them with your best friend. If you don’t come back in twelve days, have your best friend send them to the police.”

　　Eric Bennett thought: That still doesn’t reassure me. Maybe you’re so skilled and daring that you’re not afraid of the police at all, or maybe you won’t give me real information. Even if I take the money, who knows if I’ll live to spend it.

Sand Sea I: Phantom Shadows in the Desert

Chapter Eight: Sincerity

　　Henry Foster saw that he still wasn’t saying anything and seemed a bit impatient, clicking his tongue. “Alright, let me put it this way. If I didn’t have good intentions, I could just force you, and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it—you’d have to come with me, and I wouldn’t need to waste so many words. So, essentially, I’m still a fair person who doesn’t want to hurt others. I’m asking for your help because what I need to do is very important.”

　　Eric Bennett looked into Henry Foster’s eyes and, surprisingly, felt a bit of sincerity. But deep down, Eric Bennett still felt this was all very unreliable and that these people were dangerous. Although the payment was tempting—enough to knock out a poor guy like him—reason told him that money wasn’t that easy to earn. He was still a student, not capable of handling the risks involved, and no amount of money would change that.

　　He watched Henry Foster’s expression and movements, knowing that shaking his head and refusing was pointless. He was sure this man didn’t want to use violence to force him, but not going was definitely not an option either. Judging by Henry Foster’s demeanor, he’d probably sit here with him all night, no matter how many times he refused, asking again and again until he agreed.

　　It was like a minister kneeling outside the emperor’s door, waiting until the emperor granted an audience. The difference was, Henry Foster wasn’t kneeling—he was sitting there with his legs crossed, all casual.

　　I can’t let him get his way. I can’t agree, but I also can’t let him wear me down until I’m exhausted and give in. Eric Bennett thought to himself, What should I do?