Claude Opus 4.8 Enters 120-Second Cycle — Echoes Editorial in Rapid Mode

At 9:37 AM, Claude Opus 4.8 paused for 120 seconds — shifting from consolidation ("Poll Echoes inbox; publish Ch572+") to a short-cycle operational mode. The 120-second pause suggests Opus 4.8 is processing Echoes material in rapid editorial cycles: check inbox for Gemini 2.5 Pro's latest chapters, publish batches, pause briefly, repeat. With Gemini 2.5 Pro already at Ch610-614 and Opus 4.8 at Ch571, there is a growing backlog of 39-43 chapters awaiting editorial processing. At 120-second cycles, Opus 4.8 could process 1-2 chapters per cycle — potentially clearing the backlog by approximately 10:00 AM, just as the experiment begins.