Chu Yun fell in the collapsing mechanical garden, and the white magnolia fragments clutched in his hands reflected countless "selves"-the Chu Yuns of each universe looked up at the same moment, looking in a certain direction in the void. Black shoots grew wildly within him, their roots penetrating the dimensions and pulling him towards a deeper truth.
Eventually, he fell into a pure white space, a transparent "ground" beneath him, reflecting all the pruned remains of the universe. In the distance stood a blurry figure holding familiar golden scissors - Dr. Lin, but not Dr. Lin.
"Welcome to the beginning of the Pruners." The figure turned around, revealing a face identical to Chu Yun's.
This "Chu Yun" didn't have a number, and only two words were embroidered on his uniform: the Origin. The transparent ground under his feet cracked, and an image of the Primordial Universe emerged - not Earth, but a civilization composed entirely of machinery. In the image, Primordial Chu Yun implanted a virus into the core of the world, causing the entire universe to metallize.
"I created the pruning protocol only to cover up my mistakes." Primordial Chu Yun's voice was icy cold, "You in every universe are repeating my atonement."
The black shoots suddenly burst forth and stabbed at the Original Primordial, only to be cut off by his gentle scissors. A silvery liquid oozed out of the break, and turned into the remnants of Zero when it landed on the ground, "Father, you can't escape."
Primordial handed over the scissors, "Join us, or become sustenance." The moment Chu Yun took the scissors, the memories of all the universes flooded into his mind-he saw himself lifting the scissors countless times, pruning civilization, and being betrayed and devoured countless times.
Xiao Man's silhouette suddenly surfaced and held his wrist, "This time, cut the cycle." Her body transformed into a stream of data, wrapping around the scissors and coloring them black. Primordial's face suddenly changed, "How dare you contaminate the tool!"
Chu Yun did not hesitate, and sheared at the transparent ground - cracks spread, and the remains of the universe below began to boil.
Pure white space collapsed, and the Original Primordial dissipated in fury. Chu Yun crashed into the rift and fell into the original mechanical universe - there was no life here, only endless calculations and rules. Black shoots were reborn in his palm, rooted in the cold metallic earth.
A shimmering seed was borne at the top of the shoot, and inside it slumbered the shadow of Xiao Man.
In the distance, a new Magnolia tree broke through the ground, and underneath it stood the young girl Xiao Man, holding the golden scissors unstained with blood in her hands. She raised her head with a smile and looked into the void, "It's time to plant the seeds."
And at the end of her line of sight, countless pairs of mechanical eyes were slowly opening.