Nobita's Time Heist

Nobita sighed, gripping the Kusanagi sword, and slowly approached, braving the smoke and blasts.

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.

"Warning! Warning! High energy detected on the starboard side of the ship. Shield capacity depleted. Life support pods deployed. Main ship in emergency procedures..."

"Thump—!!!"

The explosion interrupted the already anxious broadcast. Bai Mu felt a sudden stagger as the ship tilted uncontrollably. Like food in a pot, he was tossed around, disoriented. Some unlucky fellows lost all strength and bounced around like pinballs in the smooth, hard hull, dying instantly. Fortunately, his physiological structure was similar to that of a mollusk, and after all the jolting, he was only slightly disoriented.

Having roamed the Sea of ​​Stars for a long time, adhering to the principle of "fire a burst first, rob if you can win, run if you can't," the Red Ring Pirates' bounties have risen steadily, and they have lived a carefree life to this day.

Those who have survived to this day on the Red Ring's ship are all seasoned veterans with extensive experience. This is also thanks to Red Ring's own charisma: no matter how scattered they become, he has the ability to quickly reorganize his crew and launch a counterattack. Under his command, the Red Ring pirate crew has developed an extremely loose fighting structure, yet they are always able to overcome powerful enemies.

He had never seen a situation like this before.

First, radar detected an attack of unknown origin. Its small size and high kinetic energy completely exceeded the ship's defensive capabilities.

It possesses both unparalleled destructive power and astonishingly high maneuverability. Using the most primitive "ramming" tactic, it exhausted the ship's shields' energy reserves in just two strikes. High-energy reaction warnings kept sounding, but it was impossible to identify what weapon the other side was using. Interception methods seemed to have regressed to a primitive level in the face of it, and were simply unable to keep up.

Screams, screams, and the occasional explosions amidst the chaos all combined to create a death knell for the Red Ring Pirates.

"What on earth happened?!" On this ship, Hyakumu's position was similar to that of a civilian employee, so he naturally couldn't go to the front lines himself. He could only grab a panicked crew member who was trying to escape and ask in a stern voice, "How did things get so chaotic? They haven't even organized a proper counterattack! Where is Red Ring?!"

"Run...run quickly..." Bai Mu would never forget the expression he saw on the crew member's face—pain, despair, and fear pushed to the limit, which distorted his face and made his eyes seem to overflow with terror. "The captain is dead!"

This sentence caused his brain to freeze for a full three seconds, the amount of information exploding in his mind, instantly filling every gap in his thinking. But before he could ask for details, a red light suddenly cut in from the side, splitting the entire warship in two horizontally. The sound of explosion came from outside the cabin, and Bai Mu instinctively opened his shield, firmly "sticking" his body to the inner wall of the ship so as not to be sucked out by the sudden depressurization.

“————!!!”

In the depths of space, a deathly silence enveloped everything. It was as if the world had suddenly been muted; people and objects were rapidly being pulled away. Even resisting this powerful suction exhausted him. Thanks to his strong racial traits, Bai Mu could survive for a long time even after entering outer space. However, given the current situation, it was difficult to say which side was more dangerous.

Hundreds of eyes opened wide, and finally, amidst the debris and bursting crystals of flesh and blood, they saw the "thing" that had attacked them.

Purple hair.

Red robe.

He had golden horns on his forehead, making him look like a ghost or god.

The thermal fusion ray that had just cleaved the ship in two had shot out from his pupils. Now, as the heat dissipated, a layer of misty red light floated above his golden pupils. He stood silently in deep space, watching the chain reaction of explosions from the ship he had sliced ​​apart. The shockwaves billowed his red robes like an unyielding banner, so dazzlingly red in the hundreds of open eyes.

The pattern of "starlight and sword" on the chest of the battle robe is extremely eye-catching, as if to draw a line between itself and the surrounding ruins.

"You..." Upon seeing the symbol representing the government army, King Baimu's emotions instantly shifted from shock to rage. Ignoring the danger of exposing himself, he initiated a telepathic connection with the symbol and angrily rebuked it, "Universe Alliance lackey!"

Muton remained silent, seemingly unfazed by such remarks, as if they were nothing new to him. Like a ruthless machine, he slowly shifted his gaze. The horns on his forehead glowed faintly, and moments later, his voice, too, was transmitted telepathically into Bai Mu's mind without reservation.

"I am Myoton Nobi Chiora, the ninth-ranking Nebula War God under the command of the [Observable Universe Pan-Civilization Joint Mediation Center] (hereinafter referred to as the "Universal Alliance"). Black Red Ring's actions have violated the relevant provisions of the Starship Safe Navigation Act. I have been ordered by the Golden Cult to annihilate the infamous Red Ring Pirate Crew!"

Chapter 332: The Bridge

Bai Mu's eyes were filled with disgust, each one involuntarily narrowing. Even though it was just his inner voice, his tone trembled slightly. "At this point, what nonsense are you spouting? Just because you changed your clothes and put on this impressive robe, you think you can erase your past? Don't forget you're a pirate too! You're a supernova with a bounty of over 5 million star coins! Red Ring's bounty is only 7 million star coins. You and he are pirates of the same level. Do you think they'll be grateful to you for that? In their eyes, you're nothing more than a useful dog, no different from us!"

"Have you forgotten your captain? He was executed by the Allied Forces, and after that, the old members of the Death Star Pirates disappeared without a trace. I thought you were just too depressed and went into hiding, but who would have thought... Ha... What? They finally decided to return your bounty to you in full?"

Recalling the casual conversation after drinking that day, Bai Mu felt as if it were a dream, and he was increasingly puzzled by the current situation. "Or is it that donning this robe and becoming the lackey of those hypocrites, enjoying their insincere applause and flowers, makes you feel so good?"

"Take the initiative to step out of the pan-civilizational sphere, break free from the predetermined fate, and pursue honor and freedom... Have you forgotten our original intentions?" He suddenly waved his hand, all the eyes on his body widening to their maximum, and roared, "Even if you kill us, we will die as 'free people,' dying outside the territory of hypocrites!"

"This is something that will be remembered by someone no matter how much time passes!"

……

Münton remained calm, his eyes like frozen smoke, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"You're wrong, my friend."

Bai Mu will always remember the way he spoke those words from the bottom of his heart, so resolute, so calm, as if he were simply stating a universal truth that one plus one equals two.

"First of all, so-called 'freedom' is nothing but a mild illusion; no one can truly enjoy it. The only difference between you and the pan-civilized world is that you need to abide by different rules. I was a pirate before, so I followed the rules of pirates; now that I am part of the pan-civilized world, I must abide by the rules of civilization... This has nothing to do with anyone else, not even with myself. Fate will naturally push you where you are meant to be."

"Secondly, it's a pity that no one will remember you, and no one will remember me. If we extend the time frame further, the rise and fall of civilizations is but a fleeting moment. The ultimate fate of all will be oblivion."

His pupils once again ignited with a branding-iron-like dark red, and thermal fusion rays were poised to be unleashed, making him appear like an ineffably noble god.

"The imperial edict clearly states that I am only authorized to suppress the members of the Red Ring Pirate Gang. I must annihilate this dangerous organization that walks on the edge of the law and poses a threat to the broader civilized world. The rest are not to be questioned." His voice was as cold as iron. Although his tone had not changed much, a chilling aura had already risen. "The patience that the higher-ups have for you has been gradually exhausted over the past ten years."

"Then, my friend, your only way out now is to formally declare to me here that you have withdrawn from the Red Ring Pirates. In that case, I will take responsibility for bringing you back to the Pan-Civilization Sphere, where you will still need to be judged by the [Skyfire Tribunal]. As for the final outcome, that will be left to the law to decide."

To put it simply, is it saying goodbye to freedom, or embracing death?

"I'm waiting."

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.

……

Lost in the path of time, the figure before him overlapped with that of Müton. Scorched by endless energy, the Hundred-Eyed King was on his last legs, seemingly regaining a sliver of consciousness in his final moments, asking with his last strength, "Will...will you agree?"

"what?"

"Would you trade your freedom for a chance to live?"

Hyakume no longer had a "face," but for some reason, Nobita felt that his expression at that moment must be one of sadness and confusion. The pain of the heart is often far more penetrating than that of the body, and can be naturally expressed in one's voice. Even though no one answered, he continued speaking to himself.

“I changed my mind. I did something irreversible. Faced with death… I agreed to his deal… It turns out that what I've always touted is nothing more than this when it comes to life and death. He escorted me all the way to the Heavenly Fire Tribunal and, based on my crimes, sentenced me to 68,000 years of imprisonment. Everything is settled now…”

Nobita didn't act immediately; he simply stood beside the shriveled black lump and listened quietly.

"The Tianmu Clan is an endangered species. Because of this, they gave me a lot of special treatment and relaxed their guard over me to some extent. I seized the opportunity and escaped from the prison... In order to avoid the eyes and ears of the Universe Alliance, I plunged into the wilderness beyond the star map. The pursuers were always following behind, and in order to shake them off, I had no choice but to keep jumping and jumping... until my energy was exhausted... and crashed into this unfamiliar red earth."

"I don't believe this is true... I... I don't believe it..."

Nobita looked at him with a complicated expression. "So, you're going to stage this 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' to devour human souls and take revenge on those who defeated you? Are all these excuses, all the motives that make up your actions, just lies?"

Stranded between heaven and earth, facing only one person he could communicate with, King Hundred Eyes finally murmured his innermost thoughts on his deathbed.

"revenge……"

"Nobita, do you know what's the most pathetic thing in the world?"

He closed all his eyes and said slowly, "In this story, everyone has their place, except me."

"The one who truly deserves revenge is me, who gave up my freedom."

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.

"laugh!"

"??"

Nobita looked utterly astonished, because he hadn't intended to do that, at least not now.

But the Kusanagi sword in his hand couldn't wait any longer, and it moved on its own. Like a cunning king cobra, it firmly gripped the web of his right hand, the force flowing through the muscles of his entire arm, briefly pulling that part of his body out of his brain's control. The sword thrust forward, its teardrop-shaped blade bracing against the surging energy beams, snapping them into several pieces with a shrill cry, piercing through the vertical-pupiled man from the front!

"Click——!!"

A crisp cracking sound came from inside the Hundred-Eyed King's body, like the sound of placing a small piece of broken glass on the sole of a shoe and then crushing it with force.

"In the end, he still lost to 'Nobi'... Haha..." Hyakume-oh's voice was no longer clear, and cracks began to appear on his surface, like old wallpaper about to peel off. One by one, all the eyes floating on his body closed. "This ending might not be so bad."

"Boom————!!!"

His body shattered completely, and a powerful suction surge erupted from the center of that vertical pupil. At first, it was just a small black dot, but by the time Nobita noticed it, its suction force quickly began to intensify and double, and the vortex was expanding at an incredible speed until it swallowed up all the surrounding matter that constituted mass!

Chapter 333: The Riddle of the Props Genius

"Boom-!!"

Shizuka bent down and moved a rock the size of a truck cab, tossing it aside with a rather frightening thud. When people are anxious or irritable, their words and actions become different from usual. At this moment, she was like a powder keg, her small face tense, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay.

After the "Finding Cane," "Retrieval Handbag," and "All-Purpose Fishing Rod" all failed in succession, they were left with no choice but to resort to the brute force of launching a massive swarm of spy satellites. Even so, Shizuka personally donned the super gloves and descended into the rubble, persistently moving boulders, tossing them aside, then moving them again… repeating the process endlessly. She remained steadfastly focused, knowing that the first thing she would do upon seeing Nobita would definitely not be to hug him.

"Um, Shizuka-kun... calm down. We can't be sure about Nobi-kun's situation yet, and it's not a good idea for you to keep searching like this."

At times like this, Gian and Suneo naturally kept their distance. They were too familiar with Shizuka and were furious about Nobita's last-minute change of heart; they might even end up yelling at him while trying to mediate, so they weren't really suited to be peacemakers. Only Dekisugi, who was always calm and collected and focused on the issue rather than the person, could persuade her with any effect. At least Shizuka had always held Dekisugi, such an excellent student, in high regard.

Of course... this only applies to "normal" situations.

"brush!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shizuka glared at him mercilessly, completely abandoning her usual stereotypical image and revealing her true tomboyish nature. Dekisugi had rarely seen this side of her before, and was immediately startled, stumbling and unable to finish his sentence.

"How could he! Do this?!"

"We agreed to face this together, this was a decision we all made together, why did he act on his own?! We're not three-year-olds who need his protection, he... he..." Several searches yielded no results. She had thought the [Item Retrieval Handbag] would eventually lead her to Nobita, but after rummaging around inside for a long time, she found nothing. Even the idea of ​​using the [Four-Dimensional Pocket] itself as a springboard proved unfeasible after practical experience; it was as if this grown man had simply vanished into thin air.

After several unsuccessful attempts, they had to start considering the worst-case scenario.

Shizuka bit her lip, clearly still angry, but the thought of possibly never seeing Nobita again filled her with inexplicable sorrow. Her nose stung, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. She quickly turned her head away, not wanting her companions to see her tears.

Of course, given Dekisugi's emotional intelligence, he wouldn't bring it up himself. He simply offered some words of comfort, saying, "If you keep digging like this, you'll collapse from exhaustion before you even find Nobita. These past few days, we haven't had much rest in order to defeat Hyakume-no-King, and our minds have been constantly on edge. Now that Hyakume-no-King is dead, the demon world has returned to stability, and Shuten-dōji has once again become the ruler of the demon world, we don't need to hide as much as before."

"Honekawa is restarting the fortress. Before long, thousands of search and rescue robots will flood in. Let them handle the search and rescue work."

“Yes, let’s not waste time looking for him.” Asur squatted down, picked up a small, smoothed pebble, and rubbed it repeatedly in his hand. He closed his eyes slightly, as if trying to reconstruct the whole process from the magic left on it. “If I’m not mistaken… he may not still be on this planet now.”

"The instant the Hundred-Eyed King's aura vanished, we heard a deafening roar more exaggerated than any explosion, didn't we? That must have been the sound of the ground collapsing. Look here, a significant portion of the continental shelf's mass has simply vanished into thin air. The cavities in the underground structure were insufficient to support the surface, thus causing a geological-like collapse."

She sighed and tossed the pebble into the distance, where the ground was as smooth as if it had been carved by an axe.

“That vertical pupil is the bridge connecting the two universes, and also the only exchange entrance and exit for energy and mass. The Hundred Eyes can instinctively summon energy from another universe, but such a massive torrent of energy is absolutely beyond the control of ordinary life. Once the entrance and exit are destroyed, a ‘depressurization’ phenomenon will occur…”

"I see." Dekisugi immediately understood the analogy. "Is it a similar principle that if you open a window on an airplane, everything will be sucked out?"

Asur nodded slowly, "On the bright side, Nobita was closest to him at the time, so he must have been sucked in immediately. The subsequent massive geological collapse wouldn't have hurt him either, but..."

She glanced at Shizuka, hesitating whether to continue, but seeing Shizuka staring intently at her, with an expression similar to that of a family member anxiously waiting outside an operating room, she couldn't bear to let her suffer any longer. With a sigh, she finally revealed her assessment.

"He should be very, very far away from us now, so far that physical units would lose their meaning. Fortunately, he was exposed to an adaptation lamp before, so even if he were suddenly thrown into outer space, there is still a glimmer of hope. In short, continuing to search like this will only add to our troubles. Let's think things through more carefully."

With the preceding analysis as a foundation, the conclusion sounds much less unacceptable.

Shizuka wasn't usually an unreasonable person, but when it came to Nobita, she panicked and started fighting with herself. After calming down, looking at the messy ground with nothing but rubble, she initially felt it was absurd that she had actually hoped to find Nobita here. Then, she sighed helplessly.

"Thank you, Asur-chan... Well... it's not like it's the first time for him anyway. In the South China Sea, with a secret item on him, he should be able to handle whatever situation arises."

Having convinced herself, and just as she was about to turn and leave, her foot suddenly stepped on something, feeling a subtle difference from before. Shizuka instantly reversed her dejected state, squatted down, and began frantically digging in the dirt. Asur and Dekisugi exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes—with this reaction, what was the point of saying she'd let go? It was all self-deception.

But perhaps Lady Luck couldn't bear to see her suffer any longer, and finally smiled upon her. Under the loose soil and rocks, she actually unearthed a man-made object!

"Look! Shizuka, Asur, do you see this? It's a space created by a [Shield Ball], and the stones are all blocked by the shield! It must have been left by Nobita!" Shizuka's voice suddenly rose, like an archaeologist finally finding a monumental discovery in the soil, as she picked up the small Shield Ball. After fiddling with it for a while, she finally managed to open it, only to find that inside the protective field was a small [Clam Box].

"Is this prop some kind of double insurance?" Asur couldn't help but exclaim. "If my calculations are correct, he won't have more than three seconds. In those three seconds, he's managed to make so many preparations..."

"As expected of the Time Anchor, they really keep surprising us time and time again."

pat!

I couldn't wait to open the clam box, and inside lay a black ballpoint pen.

Like an unsolved mystery.

Chapter 334: Da Xiong's Eldest Son

"??!"

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Muton felt a chill run down his spine. His grip loosened, and his fingers, capable of turning carbon slag into diamonds, let the white chess piece, sculpted into the shape of a knight, slip from his grasp, clattering heavily against the corner of the chessboard with a "thud." He looked at the back of his hand in astonishment, somewhat bewildered himself.

"Ah."

Laughter came from across the street.

On the main board, black and white are like two dragons, their claws and teeth locked in a fierce battle, filling almost every empty space on the board.

Both sides had opened countless branch mines, and dozens of sub-regions separated from the main body were distributed around the opposing player. Both sides were also fighting and losing in these sub-regions to compete for more resources. Meanwhile, his opponent was now completely submerged in the dense chessboard; only the shadow of his tattered black robe and the silver pheasant badge pinned to it, shining like a star, could be vaguely seen.

"What's wrong, Muton?"

Although he couldn't see the man's face beneath his black robe, Muton could still imagine the expression on the man's face when he asked those three words: "Is it that 'quick-sense' perception ability of yours again?"

……

Tree Nobi Stuart, from the Green Star, the superior civilization that actually controls the Universe Federation, is the fourth-ranked Nebula War God. At the same time, he also holds the position of High Pope of the Golden Cult—a position that is practically fixed in the pan-civilization sphere, and based on this alone, he commands respect wherever he goes.

Therefore, despite both being "lackeys" of the Universe Alliance, he and I received completely different treatment in various aspects.

According to legends from various civilizations, the tree always wears a smile that never fades, making it a diplomat who brings warmth and comfort.

The Universe seemed to intentionally cultivate his image as someone of "face," always assigning him tasks that facilitated interactions with others, coupled with his outwardly mild-mannered demeanor. Even when he had to offend someone, he would carefully consider his words, delivering them in a subtle and indirect manner. The leaders of the Universe understood a principle: compared to military intimidation, cultivating a gentle yet powerful image made it easier to convey various policies.

Only a select few truly understand the profound depths hidden beneath this gentle exterior. And Münton, who is currently playing chess with him, is clearly one of them.

"My vacation looks like it will be over soon."

"Is that so?" Shu nodded slightly, his tone still relaxed and cheerful, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking. "Having placed such a big bet, aren't you planning to go all in?"

“Deposit,” Münton uttered the two words without any emotion.