Nobita's Time Heist

A muffled thud as a figure plummeted from the sky, interrupting their conversation. A figure fell from the height of the palace, seemingly tiny compared to the towering demons. Yet, the powerful aura emanating from him, and his pair of jet-black wings, unmistakably signaled danger.

Upon seeing the long nose, Dekisugi exclaimed in surprise.

"Watch out, Great Tengu!!"

……

Through the crimson mask of rage, this most ferocious, powerful, and destructive yokai in Japanese history unleashed a powerful punch at them.

"boom--------!!!!"

A violent tremor struck from all directions, slamming into the jeep's front and shattering its headlights. The force spread to the ground, instantly cracking the jade-like bones, the fissures spreading like a spiderweb in all directions. Many pursuing monsters, unable to dodge in time, were also hit by the shockwave, immediately spitting out blood. Some with weaker bodies were directly crushed into a bloody mist by the aftershocks, like blood flowers exploding in the air.

Mei Jin let out a scream with a metallic tremor. The hood of the car in front of him was crushed and deformed on the spot, barely able to maintain its deformed shape. As it tried to revert to its robot form, its metal body curled up. Eighty percent of the force had been borne by its metal body, yet it had only slightly deformed, demonstrating its remarkable toughness.

"?"

The Great Tengu slightly raised his white eyebrows, seemingly puzzled that he had failed to defeat the iron horse with a single blow.

"Ah...ah!! It's stalled, it's stalled!"

Because Meijin had always been driving, the three of them had gotten into the habit of not wearing seatbelts even when they sat in the car. Suddenly, they were struck by a hammer, and the car spun around violently, with Da Xiong's head hitting the windshield. He could only grip the steering wheel tightly, pounding on it while trying to calm Da Xiong down, "Meijin! Calm down, please calm down! We're all..."

"boom--!"

A pistol materialized from the sunroof and fired a shot at the ground. Using the recoil from the plasma, the vehicle spun in the air, gaining about four seconds. In that split second, its interior began to transform again. The three people inside experienced firsthand what it felt like to be in a science fiction movie: with cool, clattering sounds, the Jeep's shape, size, and structure were undergoing dramatic changes. Countless gears and parts meshed together, working in unison to create a dazzling visual spectacle.

This rare experience left Dekisugi wide-eyed, not wanting to miss a single moment. He had always been fascinated by the transformation process of US dollars, and today he finally had the chance to observe it up close.

"Boom-!!"

When it landed again, the sound was significantly heavier than before.

The interior layout has also undergone a huge change. All the comfortable seats are gone, and it's more like a small and cramped combat command post, with three people crammed into one place.

"A tank!" Fat Tiger shouted excitedly, "He's turned into a tank!"

Compared to wheels, the sound of tracks was undoubtedly heavier and more solid. Meijin realized that his original vehicle could not withstand the enemy's attack, so he chose a more robust armor to protect Da Xiong and the others. This Type 10 tank demonstrated a flexibility unmatched by human military technology, quickly turning and aiming its gun at Da Tengu's location, firing in succession.

"boom----!!"

"boom----!!"

……

The cannon barrels were merely for show; what truly spewed forth was a plasma stream powerful enough to melt everything. Azure and golden hues flickered within the muzzle, and the overwhelming firepower temporarily suppressed the massive horde of raven defenders. However, this increased firepower and defense came at the cost of sacrificing speed. Tanks couldn't travel as fast as jeeps; their thick tracks scraped against the ground at high speed, sparks flying, the roar of cannons echoing incessantly, yet the encirclement continued to tighten.

Slowly emerging from the smoke and dust were a pair of jet-black, glossy wings.

"boom----"

The compressed plasma stretched into a straight line in the air, but he easily deflected it with a wave of his arm, like hitting a softball, sending it flying to the side. Countless demon soldiers were blasted away as a result, but the Great Tengu remained completely unconcerned. Meijin realized his threat and turned all her firepower on him, raining bullets down on the Great Tengu without mercy. He merely curled his wings slightly and slowly advanced.

"This is unbelievable!" Fat Tiger exclaimed as he watched this scene through the observation window, feeling a sense of déjà vu that "times have turned back." "How did this guy do that?"

"The Great Tengu is no ordinary yokai. Although in recent years, people's understanding of him has tended towards that of a guardian deity, in an era before advanced understanding of the world, he has always been synonymous with natural disasters... Japan is a coastal island nation, and natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes occur frequently. In the simple understanding of ancient people, behind these disasters, there was a unified and powerful will, and that was the Great Tengu!"

Taking advantage of this little bit of time, Dekisugi also gave the two a little background information: "In the history of Japanese folklore, he is a ferocious creature that ranks among the four great folk monsters, so he is definitely not easy to deal with."

"That punch just now, was it a manifestation of an 'earthquake'?" Nobita touched the solid inner wall of the tank, still feeling lingering fear. "If only I had been a little closer..."

"Suneo!" Gian, realizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly grabbed the radio receiver and shouted, "Are you done on your end?!"

Chapter 294: The Age of Technological Explosion

"The final step in this process is to install the [self-identifying intelligent chip] onto the host computer controlled by the optical brain, and activate the fire control system... *whoosh*..."

Suneo's love for model building is mostly influenced by his cousin, Ji. Their family's hobbies tend to be more sophisticated, like photography and model airplanes—things that are quite challenging. His family is also the wealthiest of the five, with enough space and money to support his more extravagant hobbies. They even have a dedicated room for a 1:1 scale model of a train track.

The instruction manual, thicker than a dictionary, perfectly rekindled Xiaofu's long-dormant excitement about model building, and he began constructing it from the inside out. On the undisturbed hill, his concentration reached an unprecedented level, and he turned the pages one by one.

From the initial control center to the outer walls of the turrets resembling mountain ranges, the entire structure was a hard, metallic black, instantly inspiring a sense of security. Once it was taking shape, Xiao Fu realized that the final product couldn't really be called a "turret"; it was more like a bridgehead from a science fiction movie. Because Da Xiong's requirement was "basically, it has to be very powerful," the focus was entirely on the weapon system, all cutting-edge 22nd-century technology. The appearance of most of these creations had already deviated from Xiao Fu's understanding of weapons. This made him marvel at how thoroughly weapons had evolved in just one hundred years, from the 21st to the 22nd century.

"Speaking of which, civilian technology in the 22nd century is quite amazing. They've even created highly intelligent robots like Doraemon, and there are so many other incredible gadgets..."

When he was all alone, Suneo's mind became unusually clear, and unconsciously, he pointed out the irrationality of this world.

The [Genius Helmet] allowed him to quickly identify the construction methods in the blueprints, while the [Technical Gloves] made him work with godlike efficiency. With these two items, he was soon surrounded by the turret system he had assembled. Fortunately, the built-in lighting system had been embedded in the alloy walls during assembly, and sensing that the brightness was insufficient, the walls began to illuminate themselves, projecting a light that was bright enough to see clearly but just enough to avoid hurting his eyes.

Standing inside this creation, which was almost entirely built from ultra-high technology, Suneo felt genuinely amazed.

As his hand caressed the ice-blue control panel, the nanoparticles sensed his thoughts and automatically conjured a chair that perfectly conformed to his body's dimensions, providing unparalleled comfort. Even someone as well-traveled as Xiaofu, who had seen and experienced many luxuries, found it incredibly comfortable, easily rivaling even a five-star hotel.

The rapid development of technology has impacted people's lives, giving them an unprecedented level of comfort.

a hundred years.

"In just one hundred years, things have developed to this extent; it defies common sense no matter how you look at it. What happened in the last hundred years? Did Einstein and Planck emerge in quick succession? Or did an unimaginable technological explosion occur?"

Whatever it may be, an unimaginably bright future seems to await him; an era of abundance never before seen in human history is beckoning him.

On the other hand, perhaps it's precisely because this future is so promising that there are always people trying to destroy it.

After all... not everyone can accept that everyone can live a good life.

……

"Dang Dang!"

Lost in random thoughts, Xiao Fu tapped the surface of the control panel. The smooth surface automatically deformed, arching into a cubical groove with many misaligned small sheath holes, ready to mesh with the final chip.

Logically, this step could also be done automatically, but Xiaofu manually switched it to manual. For him, after a hard afternoon, the final step was a ritual, much like assembling a computer case, assembling the entire case one by one, and finally aligning the graphics card with the slot, inserting it in one go, and hearing the satisfying "click" of a tight fit. It gave him a feeling of exhilaration.

Just then, Fat Tiger's roar came from the spare pocket, startling him so much that he almost pushed the chip into the pocket.

The moment he pulled out the cordless phone receiver, he realized what was happening. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said irritably, "Do you know how long I spent working on that chip? It almost broke! We agreed to meet at dinner time, right? If you think about it, it's only four in the afternoon..."

The continuous roar of artillery fire coming from the other end of the phone instantly put Xiaofu on alert. "Are you guys alright?"

"Suneo?" Amidst the chaos, it seemed Nobita grabbed the phone receiver, but his voice was still muffled. "The plan has changed. We've been exposed and are currently engaged in combat with a large army of monsters! The enemy's firepower is stronger than we thought... You might need to finish ahead of schedule..."

"Crack!"

Without asking any questions, Xiao Fu pressed the chip into the groove without hesitation. His fingertips were already extremely sensitive to touch, and now he was even more certain that the force and accuracy of his press were perfect. A moment later, a soft sound came from the platform in front of him—truly very soft, like the sound of a valve being turned open. It was hard to imagine that such a behemoth would make only such a faint sound when it started up.

As if liquid light were injected into it, the entire defense system seemed to be given life and immediately came into play.

The virtual interactive interface was generated directly in his pupils, and the flexible walls transformed into holographic projection screens. The turret had silently completed the entire process of analysis, reconstruction, and reproduction, presenting the entire terrain of the demon realm to Xiao Fu's eyes. This included everything happening within the White Bone Palace at this moment, as well as the adaptive firepower system analyzed in real time based on the situation.

A line of large, eye-catching yet easy-to-read characters popped up.

"Fire control system is online. Shall we transfer authority and deploy fire support?"

"Alright..." Xiaofu rubbed his hands together, clearly excited about what was about to happen. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Fire!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The steel fortress hidden atop the hill slowly unfolded its dome, from which emerged a series of fully charged dual-rail turrets.

This is undoubtedly one of the most promising weapons technologies of the 22nd century—the subatomic bombardment turret. It amplifies the energy of a collision between two atoms exponentially, then radiates this energy completely towards the target. These turrets are about the size of astronomical observatories, distributed around the fortress in a scattered pattern, ensuring a dense network of fire regardless of the direction of the enemy's attack.

Upon receiving the command, the automated subatomic bombardment turrets slightly adjusted their angles and began to bombard the White Bone Palace from various angles. Even the thinnest of the cannons was as thick as a superastronomical telescope on an observatory.

Energy is stored, charged, and fired. Orange light gradually climbs up the barrel, exuding a primitive, rugged, and violent feel.

Because what is fired is not a physical cannonball, but energy powerful enough to penetrate ordinary matter, the firing is very quiet; you can almost only hear the friction sound of ice blades sliding on the ice.

However, in the next instant, the subatomic bombardment proved its formidable power—the energy trajectory, as thick as a tree, drew an orange line, piercing through the clouds with a sharp whistling sound, and landed precisely on the white bone palace.

Chapter 295: The End of the Journey

"boom----!!"

With a violent tremor and shaking, the Great Tengu's expression finally changed. He seemed to have anticipated the power of this attack, and instead of continuing the pursuit, he curled up his wings, protecting most of his body. He turned his head, trying to investigate the source of the attack, but before he could see clearly, a subatomic torrent struck his wing from the side. Even as a calamity incarnation, taking this blow would be quite painful. The shockwave and intense heat exploded into a cloud of flame on his body, and before he could even utter a sound, his figure was completely engulfed and vanished.

Even he, a demon with considerable power, was like this; many of the lowly soldiers couldn't withstand it at all. Anyone who even grazed him was instantly vaporized. Explosions, screams, and all sorts of sounds mingled together as the entire White Bone Palace was covered in fire. Besides the most devastating subatomic bombardments, there were also incredibly fast metal projectiles that whizzed through the air.

Missiles, lasers, scimitars… a series of highly lethal firearms, whose destructive power is on a completely different level from that of humankind. These weapons intertwined into a vast net, launching a relentless, raging offensive against the Bone Palace, preventing it from even surfacing.

The essence of war is a confrontation between productive forces.

On the battlefields of the future world, the superiority of individual combat strength is meaningless; under equal conditions, firepower determines everything. Not to mention that one side still has a rather primitive social structure, completely lacking the ability to regroup. When the first wave of subatomic bombardment hit, it exceeded the psychological expectations of most monsters, and they scattered like birds and beasts.

"I've marked you as friendly forces. The fire control system will adjust the angle; you absolutely won't get hurt!" Xiaofu's voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with pride. "These bones are really tough... Take advantage of this time and get out of the battlefield quickly. Let me see if there are any bigger guys out there, and give them a few more hits!"

"wyubsawn————!!"

Upon hearing this, the man who had been struggling just moments before suddenly reverted to primal mode. Despite having learned how to vocalize, he still uttered metallic sounds that were incomprehensible to ordinary people.

A moment later, he transformed again, this time from a heavily armored, massive tank into a dynamic race car. Even before it was fully transformed, the four wheels were already turning, and the engine roared with a deep, powerful sound, like the neighing of a wild horse, making one's blood boil.

Despite the damage to the palace, even if it were opened, environmental destruction would be unavoidable. Nobita noticed that the palace itself—this enormous, frightening skeleton—had not cracked. On the contrary, the other materials used to build the palace, such as stone bricks and flooring, were constantly cracking, with rubble falling like raindrops, making a sound like thunder.

"Quick, US dollars!" Nobita was forced into the driver's seat and didn't even have time to fasten his seatbelt. He shouted repeatedly, "It looks like this place is going to collapse!"

"boom----!!"

The hot air spewing from the exhaust pipe and the dashboard blazing to its limit in an instant were the US dollar's response to this.

The next instant, a powerful jolt pushed them back, and everything before their eyes rushed past. The speed was so fast that even the flesh on their faces trembled. In this situation, they couldn't even speak; they could easily bite off their tongues.

Because it was all happening so fast, everything seemed to slow down in Nobita's eyes. He couldn't open his eyes, but he could hear his own heart pounding like a drum, and the stones falling to the ground and shattering.

dong dong!

dong dong!

The powerful heartbeat continued twice, and the race car suddenly burst out of the smoke. In the surging air, everything seemed to slow down, except for his thoughts, which were racing. Nobita looked at Gian and Dekisugi, both of them with their eyes closed and mouths agape, screaming. This moment seemed to be frozen in time, etched firmly into his mind.

What are they thinking right now? Are they regretting so rashly embarking on this potentially deadly journey?

What flashed through Nobita's mind were scenes from their underwater adventures—back then, they also had a similar exploration vehicle, with a top speed comparable to a maglev subway. They sat in it, traversing underwater trenches and volcanoes, witnessing unimaginably magnificent scenery.

"Those were good times..."

……

The next moment, the flow of time returned to normal.

"laugh-----!!"

The moment of impact, the driver displayed remarkable control, pulling the car sideways and using the acceleration to execute a flawless S-curve, allowing the race car to dodge several falling boulders. He then immediately shifted gears, reversing the car and narrowly avoiding almost every possible danger. Yet, a single boulder, with perfect speed and angle, hurtled towards the virtually unarmored convertible at an incredibly tricky angle.

"Boom-!!"

Nobita raised his hand and fired an air cannon, blasting the creature into pieces just as it was about to touch his nose.

……

"Wow...wow! We...can you see? We burst out from that height, bang! And we survived!"

The entire escape was no less thrilling than a chase scene in a Hollywood blockbuster, and experiencing it firsthand in the first person made the physiological response quite remarkable. His adrenaline surged, his hair stood on end, and even the pores on his face opened up. Fat Tiger hadn't yet recovered from the intense experience, and his speech became illogical.

"Thanks to Honekawa's firepower support." Dekisugi was in a similar situation, but he quickly calmed down by using breathing techniques like yoga. "Nobi-kun, even so, our situation is still not optimistic."

“I noticed that too… the turret’s firepower seems only enough to tie down enemy forces, not enough to eliminate Hundred-Eyed King in one shot.” ​​Da Xiong sighed. “In other words, the first battle plan has failed. Not only that, we’ve also exposed our position, and another round of fighting could happen at any time.”

"Right now, we can only rely on Shizuka and the others. Once they find the tsukumogami, they might be able to put up a fight against Hyakume-o again."

"Don't worry," Gian said confidently. "Shizuka has never let us down at a crucial moment, not even once. It's just finding a few fairies, there won't be any problems."

Even if we do find it, how effective this method will be remains to be seen.

"..." After a moment's hesitation, despite his inner turmoil, Nobita nodded. He didn't want to spread his unease; this was something he'd shown since childhood. Rather than making others feel uneasy, he preferred to silently process his feelings and then put on a nonchalant, lazy demeanor. Only Doraemon, who had spent a long time with him and knew him quite well, could see through his thoughts.

Dekisugi hesitated for a moment, but said nothing.

"It's getting late. We'd better hurry before they catch up..."

……

Noticing something, Nobita suddenly turned his head, his hand already in his pocket, instinctively wanting to take out a gadget.

In this brief clash between man and demon, for the first time in his life, he was a fraction of a second slower than his opponent.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Thump—!!"

The art of killing with one's eyes.

It runs from top to bottom, piercing through Nobita's heart.

Chapter 296: Occasionally, those people with the surname "Nobi" will appear.

"To be honest, the damage you've caused here has surprised me to some extent. As far as I know, you humans don't yet possess such destructive capabilities, do you?"