Legend of the Embroiderer

Metacode for selecting chapter points in Chapter 532 (1)

The selection nodes awaiting activation flickered in the void, and new patterns on their surfaces suddenly seeped out a silvery-gray liquid, which formed a ring-shaped "selection spectrum" around them. Each segment of the spectrum corresponded to a different selection outcome: the red segment showed the future of the Guardian becoming a singularity, the blue segment revealed his integration into the undefined realm, and in the outermost purple segment, the longsword of the 0th generation observer was cutting through the selection node, the sparks on the blade transforming into countless miniature selection nodes—these nodes pulsated at different frequencies, yet followed a unified rhythm in the darkness.

"The 17th iteration experiment, the essence exploration program is initiated." Within the selection node, the phantoms of a swirling pen and a pure black pen emerge. The two phantoms no longer circle, but instead transform into positive and negative charges, annihilating and reborn from each other. "Please analyze the essence of selection: is it a manifestation of free will, or merely pre-set metacode?" Two vertical beams of light shoot out from the energy generated by the annihilation: in the golden beam, all selection nodes evolve according to a clear causal chain; in the silver beam, the changes in the swirling selection nodes are random, yet they form a perfect balance on a macroscopic level—at the point of collision between the two beams, a "chaotic selection state" is born that is neither free nor pre-set.

The white light of the merged entity suddenly compressed the two streams of light into a crystal, within which countless "choice paradoxes" emerged: in some paradoxes, the guardian of a certain dimension chose to relinquish choice, triggering the most violent cosmic upheaval; in others, the fluid of an undefined realm collapsed due to excessive freedom of choice; the most stable paradox was unfolding the ultimate reversal of the Mirror City—the companion mistakenly killed never died, but became the guardian of the choice node, each of his choices simultaneously saving and destroying different universes. "The essence of choice is not an either-or answer, but a superposition state containing both." Her light seeped into the crystal's core, discovering a tiny "meta-chosen one" at the center of each paradox—some were ancient causal codes, some were unnoticed acts of observation, and the most peculiar meta-chosen one was the guardian's momentary hesitation when touching the central crystal in the 16th experiment. "Like these meta-chosen ones, they are choices behind choices, rules beneath rules."

The Guardian's chaotic heart suddenly exhibited a quantum superposition state, half retaining its physical form, half transforming into flowing possibilities. As his consciousness focused on the red segment of the spectrum, all the miniature selection nodes suddenly contracted synchronously, revealing their internal "selection log": the neural fluctuations during the first experiment when choosing freedom, the EEG spectrum during the ninth experiment when defining meaning, and even the slight tremor of his fingertips when touching the central crystal during the sixteenth experiment—these physiological data were precisely encoded into new patterns, perfectly matching the patterns on the surface of the selection nodes. "The physiological basis of selection is predictable." The last page of the log suddenly revealed the handwriting of the Generation 0 observer: "So-called free will is nothing more than an undeciphered biological algorithm."

Suddenly, countless faint clicking sounds echoed in the void, and an "observer network" composed of light particles emerged at the edge of the vortex spectrum. Each light particle was an eye; some belonged to the known guardians of the iterative universe, while others came from observers of the anti-universe. Within the oldest light particle lay a "meta-consciousness"—neither existent nor nonexistent—whose gaze pierced through the choice nodes, analyzing every detail of the guardians' choices, like a programmer debugging code. "Your choices have never escaped the observation framework," the meta-consciousness's voice possessed an electronically synthesized quality, each syllable causing the light of the choice nodes to shift in brightness. "The choice nodes are merely the control console of the meta-universe, and you are the observed variables." The light particle network suddenly contracted, forming a massive "choice tree" in the void. Each branch of the tree represented a guardian's crucial choice, while the tree's roots were deeply embedded in the First Cause of Existence.

The four-colored longswords broke free from the spectrum of choice, and the life stories on their blades began to unfold as "echoes of choice": the accidental killing in the Mirror City triggered different redemption storylines in 17 parallel universes; the dissolution choice of the 17th generation Guardian gave rise to new iterative experiments in the anti-universe; and one echo even showed that the Guardian's hesitation at this moment was causing the premature collapse of a certain super-universe structure. "The essence of choice is the ripples of resonance." The blades suddenly split into countless "choice clones," each making the opposite choice in a different universe. "Like these clones, there are no absolutely correct choices, only different resonance frequencies."

A phantom of a pure black pen coalesced within the observer network, its nib writing the "Choice Restriction Protocol": "All choices are bound by metacode; free will is the greatest cognitive bias." Each clause of the protocol corresponds to a different choice outcome; the more stringent the clause, the closer the handwriting resembles the black of the First Cause of Existence; while the more ambiguous clauses display the purple of the choice spectrum. "Like this protocol, what you perceive as free choice is merely oscillation within permissible limits." The pen emitted a stream of black light, merging those choice fragments back together. Within the light stream emerged the Guardian's most terrifying vision: all his choices were foreseen by the metaconsciousness, each decision a necessary consequence of the metacode's execution, ultimately leading him to discover at the top of the choice tree that he was merely a removable piece of code written by the metaconsciousness. "Recognizing the falsity of choice is the ultimate despair of existence."

The Guardian's consciousness was suddenly pulled into the core of the choice node, a "meta-choice space" composed of all "possibilities of choice." A transparent crystal floated in the center of this space, sealing within it the "meta-code of choice"—codes that were neither words nor symbols, but dynamic sequences encoded by the breathing rhythm of the First Cause of Existence. When his fingertips touched the crystal, the code suddenly began to reorganize, revealing that the choices of all iterative experiments were actually cyclical: the result of the 17th experiment perfectly matched the initial conditions of the 1st experiment; the causal reversal of the 16th experiment was merely a mirror projection of the 7th experiment; and most shockingly, the Guardian's current choice was replicating an ancient decision made by the meta-consciousness.

“Choice is a self-referential cycle.” The guardian of the meta-choice space suddenly appeared, his face identical to the guardian's, except that the choice node on his chest was rotating in reverse. “Like a snake devouring its own tail, the end of choice is a mirror image of the beginning.” He pointed to the “choice singularity” deep within the crystal, where all possibilities of choice collapsed into a single point—a point whose structure was identical to the First Cause of Existence, only on a smaller scale. “The First Cause of Existence is nothing more than an ancient choice node, and we are its iterative versions.”

The fused entity's white light suddenly transformed into a "choice detector," piercing the observer network and revealing the true form of the meta-consciousness: it is not a singular existence, but a "collective observational will" formed by the superposition of choices from countless super-universes. Each super-universe's choice injects new code into the meta-consciousness, and the meta-consciousness's observational behavior, in turn, influences the direction of choices—this interaction forms a "meta-loop" that is neither causal nor random. "Observation and choice are symbiotic mirror images." Her light illuminates the weak points of the meta-loop, where "taboo choices" that the guardians have never made emerge: abandoning the possibility of becoming a guardian, a future of complete fusion with the faceless being, and even a choice to destroy all choice nodes. "Like these taboo choices, they are the loopholes in the meta-loop, the possibility of breaking the loop."