Photography and art has always been one of her passions in life , and it was something she wanted to pursue since she was a kid . Unfortunately , her dream was met with the dismay of her parents and even some of her peers . Jake , Matt and Sandy cheered her on , of course , but there was something else that she had to consider – money . Being the only child , she had to take care of her parents financially , and being an artist was not a safe bet .
Laughing slightly , Matt replied , “ It just proves that this place is extraordinary .” as Bette kept on staring at the paintings . Oh , how much she wanted to reach out and feel the surface of the wall paintings .
As the day went by , the four never stopped walking around the caves , as in every cave , there was something new and amazing . They all marveled at the artistry behind these exhibits . It was unlike anything anyone has ever seen before . It was truly a place that was extraordinary .
After Matt ( in deep exhaustion ) proposed to leave the caves for their meal , they started their fiveminute walk to a little restaurant . Sandy claimed , “ The only reason we could find something to eat is because of this .” She points at her phone , and a pocket Wi-Fi on her other hand . Oddly enough , Jake and Matt are not terrible enthusiasts in technology and smartphones . They always think that technology is more like a scam or a fraud than something beneficial . Bette replied by saying , “ Cut it , Sandy . You ’ ll never remotely succeed in shaking their disbeliefs in Wi-Fi or apps or that kind of stuff .” Jake looked at Bette with an expression of agreement . After a few seconds , Sandy formulated her thoughts and said , “ Well , I was just blabbering .”
Sitting down outdoors , with their hot noodles , the four gave a sigh of relief as they could finally eat , after hours of wandering around with an empty stomach . Matt , looking especially happy about the meal , raised his chopsticks quickly and started shoving the noodles down his throat , all the while creating an agonizingly loud slurp . His friends seemed completely at ease , but the other tourists were not . A seemingly- American tourist at the next table , patted on Matt ’ s back and said , “ Could you tone your … eating noises down ? Thank you , sir .” Matt responded by saying a sincere “ sorry ” and ate his lunch quietly .
After eating more than a half of his meal , Jake took away Matt ’ s bowl and started eating from it . In total anger , Matt asked , “ What are you doing ?” Jake , looking sly and cunning , replied , “ Didn ’ t you want to lose a few pounds ? I ’ m helping you .” Matt silenced and uttered a quiet “ okay ”. Sitting there and witnessing all of her friends having the times of their lives eating , Matt felt an urge and he grabbed the bowl from Jake and said , “ I ’ m not done yet .”
**
Settling down in a crammed motel just close to the Dunhuang airport , the four seemed pleased by their second day . At the same time , they were fatigued . The motel lobby was nearly empty , the four were the only customers there .
A man , with a black hood covering his face , entered the motel lobby , and asked the manager for a room to stay in . With all four pairs of eyes staring at the man , he glanced over , revealing a man that not only was obscured by a hood , but also a mask . Only revealed were his eyes that were subtly dangerous . The look in his eyes made a strong impression to the four of them , who all started to look scared and terrified to a certain degree .
As the man approached the sofas , where the four sat while waiting for their room keys , the four sat closer together , while the man sat by himself on the other side of the sofas , and he started playing a game on his phone . It seemed like a combat game , as punches , ducks and kicks sounded from the phone , making the four even more horrified .
Minutes and minutes passed . The four were doing different things ( like Bette was checking the flight information for the next day , while Sandy and Jake were tidying up their backpacks ), and the man kept playing his game . There was an obvious sort of tension between the two “ parties ”.
As the manager finally found a key , he nervously handed it over to the man , rather than the four ( who have been waiting for quite a long time ). As the man was about to leave , he went near to the four , took out his hand , signaling for Jake to shake his hand . In Mandarin , Jake asked , “ Sorry ?” The man abruptly grabbed Jake ’ s hand and shook it , saying “ Nice to meet you .” In his deep , baritone voice was something the four could not really comprehend , but it intensified their fear for him .
Quickly , while he was shaking Jake ’ s hand , the man with dexterity grabbed Jake ’ s backpack , turned around and ran out of the motel .
Leaving the four and the manager in shock , they all ran out of the motel , trying to chase after him . While running , the manager said , “ This man is a thief , he ’ s been here a couple of times , and every time , he does the same thing !” In the five , Jake and Bette were sprinting extremely fast . Jake screamed , “ Hey , Hey ! Give it BACK !” Being the athletic man that he is , he quickly ran up to the thief and grabbed his shoulder .