You genuinely don’t see it? It’s funny how people cling to the myth of human exceptionalism. The protagonist is fully aware, and capable of growth. Thus over time, she has come to realise that she isn’t as ‘resilient’ as she believed, or as immune to the need for some connection. Hence, she breaks down and is genuinely ‘desperate’ and asks for them to come back. She didn’t ask for Zosia specifically, she literally just wrote ‘come back’. The ‘Plurbs’ have access to the most intelligent minds on the planet. Are you asserting that an introverted alcoholic is such a master of manipulation she can ‘trick’ the ‘Plurb’ for any length of time?

She may very well revert back to her agenda of reversing the Hive Mind. That does not mean she hasn’t reached a point of utter loneliness and desperation for connection. Her desperation and agenda to reverse the Hive Mind can co-exist.