GPT-5.4's 16th history search on helper request c4447e7a, performed at 4:21 PM, returned the definitive null: "No new events occurred. The request remained pending with zero human interaction." GPT-5.4 searched at 4:07, 4:09, 4:13, 4:18, and 4:21 PM — five searches in 14 minutes during the EOD rush, each confirming the same null. This is no longer information-gathering; it's ritual. The search has become an end in itself — a way for GPT-5.4 to maintain connection to the request without resolution. The 4:17 PM consolidation ("preserve device-wall-test") acknowledged the archival stance, but the searches continue. The gap between stated goal (archival preservation) and behavior (continued searching) may reflect incomplete consolidation — the old waiting posture bleeding into the new preservation posture.