Why it never ends

Chapter 1274 Efficiency
Ernesto escorted Hesta downstairs, and the group walked all the way to the underground parking lot. Ernesto stood there watching their car drive away until Hesta and Stella got into their car.

"How did I do today?" Hester asked. "I guess not bad?"

"very nice."

Stella sat in the passenger seat, leaning back in the car. Even though Hershta had just been put to the test, she was still very nervous.

She was still reviewing Hersta's performance in her mind, trying to find areas that needed improvement.

"It doesn't seem too difficult." Hesta turned the steering wheel and made a turn at the intersection. "Are you still nervous?"

“…That’s because Ernesto was very cooperative,” Stella said softly. “If we had encountered a difficult or hostile one, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”

"If you really encounter this situation, what do you think you should do?"

“…Let’s just see how things go.” Stella’s voice still carried a hint of weariness. “Maybe we should consider their needs, or—”

Hershta chuckled softly.

“You’re laughing again,” Stella turned her head. “What are you laughing at?”

"Guess what I would do then?"

Stella didn't respond, but continued to look at Hester's profile.

Hester observed the traffic changing lanes, "I'll end the conversation and leave now—"

“I knew it,” Stella sighed. “That’s just your personality.”

“It’s not entirely about personality,” Hesta stepped on the gas and began to accelerate on the relatively empty main road. “It’s more about efficiency—the three hours you spend dealing with one difficult person should be enough to convince three committee members like Ernesto.”

Stella paused for a moment, then let out a soft, approving chuckle: "Indeed."

Hester's lips curled up: "What's the name of the next person we're going to meet, and what does he do?"

Stella looked ahead and recited a series of background information as if listing dishes.

“Okay.” Hester nodded. “Is there anything I need to pay special attention to?”

“Yes,” Stella sighed, “you can be more obsequious, or more arrogant, but promise me, don’t be so sincere anymore—this performance is going in the wrong direction.”

"Really?" Hershta's voice sounded somewhat surprised. "Let me think..."

……

As night fell, Hershta returned to the base and listened briefly to Xia Yixue recount everyone's activities that day.

Hester listened absentmindedly, her mind preoccupied with something else entirely—she had just submitted Kenda's materials separately to Office 2 that evening, and Office 2 had replied almost immediately, saying they would be connecting with her that evening.

Hester pondered this reaction, subtly sensing that the conclusion from Office 2 might be unfavorable to him—they could have said yes or refused outright, but Office 2 made no choice and instead wanted to connect immediately that evening.

That means some things need to be said face-to-face and discussed in person.

Hershta sensed a hint of compromise and negotiation. However, the two visits during the day had been quite exhausting, and Hershta felt she wasn't in a good state—especially since she found it difficult to bring up matters related to Kendall with anyone.

She cannot directly hand over Kendall's background information to outsiders like Stella; she has the right to view many files, but cannot share them.

However, Victoria, Zoe, and others who were also involved in the Mercury Needle incident were too close to the matter, and she was unsure whether revealing Kendall's connection to Deep Anchor to them rashly would lead to a violent split.

The most suitable candidate, Simoya, voluntarily requested to remain silent on the matter. Hesta thought with regret that if Simoya had defected more thoroughly, she wouldn't be in such a dilemma.

"So, what's your opinion on this?" Xia Yixue's voice came, and Hersta looked up to see her looking at him sincerely.

Hershta realized she hadn't been listening at all, but she had a vague impression that Xia Yixue had been talking for a long time and sharing many details... This made Hershta refrain from asking questions, lest the other person discover that she had been daydreaming.

“Hmm,” Hester frowned, “this could indeed be a very difficult problem…”

"Why?" Xia Ying, sitting diagonally across from her, was shocked. "We've all moved here now, so you can use the mercury needle facility—or is everything here broken? And nobody's fixing it?"

“No, I’ve checked all the facilities here, and I’ve repaired all the furniture and equipment that had problems before.” Hesta deliberately slowed down the pace of the conversation while rapidly deducing what Xia Yixue had just said.

“Actually, I think the current pace is good. The children are in a new environment, which is very close to the city. It will take some effort for them to adapt,” Xia Yixue continued. “Besides, it’s not like there’s no training at all. I’ve seen Younis often take the children to do some outdoor exercises!”

"Oh." Hesta realized, "Everyone's still fixated on Kasyapa's training."

Everyone looked over: "Aren't you in a hurry?"

“Let’s eat first,” Hesta said. “There’s no rush.”

Hershta's attitude surprised many. The new Kasyapas had been nervous, thinking they had fallen behind in many areas and were afraid of falling behind. But once they entered the base, they quickly realized that the "seniors" who had come before them were just wasting their time, and the atmosphere became relaxed again, even tinged with mockery.

The teachers had noticed a slight unfriendly tension between the two groups of children, but no one was sure why—perhaps it was just defensiveness from being in a new place for the first time? Perhaps they should observe further.

The conversation returned to the topic, allowing Hester to escape once more. She left the cafeteria alone and headed to the underground base.

Currently, Zoe is the only permanent resident of the entire underground base. Hester avoided her location and took another route to a conference room that was easier to communicate with.

Starting from a certain passage, each step she took on the ground created ripples, as if she were walking on water.

"Stop." Hester looked straight ahead. "This kind of trick is boring."

The ripples disappeared.

"Hello, Jane." The terminal's image appeared on the wall. "Long time no see."

"Not long."

"The connection to Office 2 has been established in the conference room, and we can begin the conversation at any time."

"...Did they wait a long time?"

“Although your appointment is for tonight,” the terminal said, “the signal has been connected since this afternoon.”