"It seems that it's time to leave." Angel removed the screen, pressed a few buttons, and everything began to retract.
"Oh, look here," she said, scanning Angela from head to toe. "Now you're in the system—you won't need my help to return."
"Angel…"
"Yes?" Angel stopped when she heard her name.
"What would have happened if Abby had listened to those people and stopped her idea of copying and summarizing the diaries?" Angela asked, gazing at the empty space where the hologram had been.
"…" Angel considered the question, then answered carefully.
"It's similar to what would have happened if Nina hadn't left for the lesser-known tribes."
Angel began toward the exit, noticing her sister was lagging behind.
She called out, "Angela, we need to go."
Angela snapped back to reality and said, "Couldn't Nina have just paid for her son not to go to war? Why go through all that trouble? I know it worked out, but I still don't understand her motivation."
"She didn't leave because of the war," Angel explained, pulling up a holographic map from her watch to show Angela the resources.
"The country had ample resources, just like we do now," she continued, letting Angela glance at the projection to understand the scale.
"But because of the people's demands, it was very difficult to transfer energy and resources without depending on others," Angel added, her eyes tracing the holographic map.
"It put them in a tough situation," she said, emphasizing her point.
As Angel led her sister down the hallway, their movements were observed by the first-born daughter, Grace Piao, through a hologram screen.
"Heh…" Grace's quiet, angry chuckle echoed through the meeting room, making everyone sweat in fear.
The assistant who had witnessed the exchange glanced up, realizing that Deputy Head Angel Piao was in deep trouble yet again—but at least it meant an easy month ahead for her.
No one spoke.
The echo of that soft laugh lingered in the room like a coming storm no one knew how to stop… yet.