Why it never ends

Chapter 1208

Hersta let out a sigh.

“I originally thought things didn’t have to be this complicated between us,” she muttered, a hint of disappointment in her voice. After a brief silence, she turned around and asked, “What exactly did you come here for tonight?”

Boheng did not answer immediately. At this moment, he was torn between his inner thoughts and his own, but many of his inner thoughts were clearly not suitable to be spoken.

“…I’m here to give you an answer,” Boheng said in a low voice, “and also to ask you a question.”

Heshtar glanced at the other person quickly: "You're willing to let more Kasyapas come?"

“Fifty is nothing. If you really need it, I can give you more, but Jane… tell me, what exactly are you doing in District Twelve?” Boheng was silent for a moment, then looked into Hester’s eyes. “Why did you come to District Twelve? What… is there here that you need?”

Just as Hester was about to answer, Boheng suddenly interrupted her: "Answer me seriously, Jane."

Hershta looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“If you were just sent here by AHgAs to experience life for a few years and carry out a short-term overseas assignment to add a glamorous experience to your resume… then we really don’t need to make things so complicated,” Boheng said softly. “But you… have completely confused me. You make me unsure of where to place you… whether I should trust you, and how to trust you.”

After saying that, Boheng let out a very light sigh of relief—he had been holding this in all night, and now that he had finally gotten to the bottom of this difficult problem, he felt a sense of relief.

He had thought Hersta would need to think it over for a while, but instead he heard her laugh.

“This isn’t a difficult question to answer, but I think that’s not what you really want to ask,” Hesta said, his fingers still clasped together in his lap. “What you really want to know is whether there’s any basis for a long-term partnership between us.”

“…Of course,” Boheng readily admitted, “our contact over the past few months has been very pleasant. You helped me solve some problems, and I gave you some in return. You visited our settlement, and similarly, our people lent a hand on your farm… It’s a good pace, at least for me.”

As Hershta listened to Boheng's almost candid self-revelation, he pondered what could have prompted the other party to suddenly come and tell him this tonight.

As Stella noticed, Boheng's remarks had never been as offensive as tonight, and there was clearly a reason behind this lack of concealment. Now, Hesta was almost certain that this sudden display of "self" and "frankness" was one of the tools he was using to test the waters.

As Boheng continued his eloquent speech, Hesta recalled the name he had just mentioned: Vera. Boheng had said she was a minor official in the Military Security Bureau's investigation department under Bruma's control. Clearly, this woman had stirred up his unease, prompting him to disregard etiquette and visit late at night in order to obtain a promise that could quell his anxiety.

“…I’ve said everything I should and shouldn’t have tonight,” Boheng said in a low voice, looking at Hershta. “What do you think?”

Hershta did not speak immediately.

She braced herself on the armrests of the bamboo chair, stood up, and took a few steps in the greenhouse at night.

“Coming to District 12 wasn’t part of my original plan. Before the massacre of Mercury Needle last November, I never imagined I’d end up here.” Hester turned and glanced at Boheng. “In that respect, I’m not like you. I have no feelings for this land.”

“…The massacre targeting Mercury Needle,” Boheng repeated in a low voice, “Do you mean the bombing of the Fayalar Wasteland?” “Yes.”

"Please accept my condolences," Boheng said softly. "I have also heard about it."

“My biggest concern right now is Deep Anchors,” Hester suddenly chuckled. ““Concern” might not be the most accurate word. As a force that emerged directly from that bombing, they have seriously threatened the safety of the habitable lands…”

Hesta paused for a moment at this point.

"That's why I need Kasyapa—I heard it from you that Deep Anchor values ​​children like these, and I'm curious to know what they're really concerned about."

Boheng seemed to understand: "...I see."

"You ask me what I'm here for? It's actually quite simple. AHgAs's mission is always easy to guess: to maintain public safety. I have two things to do: first, to prevent extreme incidents caused by the Mercury Needles; and second, to cooperate with the Emmanuela government in doing some defense work within our capabilities—but that doesn't mean I'm on their side."

“I understand,” Boheng nodded. “The actual goal is still to quell the riots, but cooperating with the government is more efficient, especially now that your main force has withdrawn. Your job is probably more difficult than before.”

Hester turned his head slightly: "You really know a lot about mercury needles."

“There was nothing we could do about it.” Boheng smiled. “If you hadn’t all evacuated District Twelve, there probably wouldn’t have been the Eternal Tree takeover operation in Emeria last time—in the past, the government would always send a few Mercury Needles to participate in such operations.”

Hershta was somewhat surprised: "Always? Even for activities completely unrelated to AHgAs?"

"Pretty much. At least for events of the scale of the old Independence Day, a considerable number of Mercury Needles will participate," Boheng said softly. "That's why we used to avoid these kinds of grand events; it wouldn't be worth it."

The two chatted for a while longer. From Boheng's words, Hersta realized for the first time that Mercury Needles of District 12 seemed to be very close to the local government. They even completely ignored the terms updated by Office 4 a few years ago—a new law enacted after Liz's sacrifice to protect young Mercury Needles from being recruited by the United Government.

Suddenly, a burst of children's noise came from afar, and some commotion reached their ears through the corridor. Boheng looked in the direction of the sound: "It seems your activities for tonight are over—sorry for making you miss it."

“This heart-to-heart talk happens a few times a month, it’s nothing special,” Hester said. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?”

Boheng laughed: "I guess so."

"You can stay here tonight and leave tomorrow," Hesta said, yawning. "...When are you planning to send the person over?"

You mean Kasyapa?

"Ah."

“I don’t think your palace can accommodate so many children,” Boheng said. “Why don’t I hand them over to you on the day you officially move to the reserve base here?”