Nobita's Time Heist

But for some reason, Nobita found the scolding incredibly satisfying.

When he felt immense pain and confusion, unsure of where to go next in his life, it was his childhood sweetheart, whom he had grown up with, who rescued him with unwavering actions, pulling him out of the quagmire of self-destruction. This also made him realize that, at least, people who are willing to reprimand you generally care about you.

……

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Who told me to do something like that?" Nobita shook his head, carefully put the letter away, and put it back in his pocket. "I can only explain to Shizuka and the others when I get back."

Chapter 338: The Gospel Descends

After calming down, he noticed his surroundings. It was pitch black all around, with tiny things occasionally drifting by.

Did it fall into the sea?

At least this planet has oceans, and its structure might be similar to Earth's. Nobita began to use his mental power to drive the Sand Cross machine. As the sea level drew closer, he detected strong electrical signals. These signals were captured and, despite the technological gap, were easily deciphered and converted into speech, which was then played into Nobita's ears.

"The synchronization curve has reversed; the pulse is flowing backward!"

"No! The signal has been rejected; the command cannot be received!"

Where is Shinji?

"Unclear... The monitors have stopped responding, and the pilot's fate is unknown! Unit-01 is not responding at all!"

"Is this the end..." The young female voice seemed very hesitant. After a brief moment of deliberation, she began to issue orders, "Terminate the operation. Protecting the pilot is the top priority! Remotely operate to force the insertion plug out."

"No, there's no response, the operation failed!"

……

Perhaps due to the change in location, the radio waves disappeared, and Nobita didn't deliberately try to detect them. Through the conversation, he had already gleaned enough useful information—a civilization existed on this planet, and the last time he translated the konjac chips was a long time ago, their usefulness long gone. In other words, these people were speaking genuine Japanese. Therefore, it could be deduced that this wasn't just any ordinary place; it might be Earth in some parallel universe!

For some reason, he wasn't surprised at all by this turn of events, as if he was already used to it.

"I knew it, how could they possibly let me go? Sure enough, they were waiting here." Da Xiong gave a wry smile, his stomach growling. He grabbed a can of compressed liquid and started sucking on it with relish. "To put it simply, they're fighting something, it malfunctioned, and the pilot is trapped inside. That's about it."

Faced with such a situation, Nobita naturally couldn't stand idly by. Fortunately, Sandro's mobility was quite excellent, and in the blink of an eye, he had already risen several thousand meters. Amidst the crashing waves, he reached land.

Dead silence.

The city was deathly silent; from Nobita's perspective, it felt like he had wandered into a jungle of reinforced concrete. The intercepted radio signals mentioned a battle, yet the city was eerily quiet, without a sound of firing. He initially thought it was a port city near the coast, but looking around, he could still see the silhouettes of mountains behind the towering buildings—a rather unique geographical location.

What truly surprised Nobita was the architecture of the city.

Many of them are fake.

The hardware of the Shandong Cross originated entirely from the Mecca-Tobias civilization, specifically designed for interstellar warfare. The disguises made on Earth were easily seen through.

As Nobita's gaze swept across the area, a series of prompts popped up on the interactive interface—those seemingly imposing skyscrapers actually served military purposes, resembling armories filled with various firearms. For some reason, they were all exceptionally large, as if designed for giants. Besides these, there were others that looked like charging stations or missile silos, their purpose unknown.

In short, it's more like an impenetrable fortress than a city for people to settle in, a battlefield specifically designed to defend against certain things.

Da Xiong felt a little uncertain, after all, to this city, he and Shandong Cross were definitely outsiders.

"I wonder what will happen..." Adhering to the principle of vigilance above all else, Nobita did not choose to deactivate the armor, but continued to drive the Sand Cross slowly through the deserted streets.

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.

Third New Tokyo City. An underground city. NERV Command Headquarters.

Strictly speaking, this was Unit-01's first battle against the Angels, and the hope of saving the world was thus forcibly placed on the shoulders of a 14-year-old boy. Shinji Ikari, who had never been on a battlefield and had not received a minute of training, piloted Unit-01, fighting until he was out of ammunition and supplies, and his last bar of battery was depleted. Then, the reactive armor covering Unit-01 fell off, allowing him to win the war in an unexpectedly brutal manner.

Unit-01's rampage.

What was once considered an urban legend or a strange tale would never have been considered true.

“He who gazes into the abyss shall be lest he be swallowed by it.” Misato Katsuragi shook her head, looking at the tall, ferocious monster on the screen with arms reaching past its knees. She felt a throbbing pain in her temples, and a sense of absurdity welled up within her. “Have we… always relied on monsters like this to fight the Angels?”

"Survival is the first priority. When it comes to survival, we will use every despicable and dirty means. That's human nature." Ritsuko said softly from the side. As one of the few people who were deeply involved in the EVA research, she was not surprised by this scene. She just gently reminded her close friend, "This is a war concerning the life and death of mankind. Don't let too much personal emotion get involved, Katsuragi, the operations commander."

……

Gendo Ikari smiled, something he rarely did.

It wasn't the kind of smile a father gives his son with pride, but rather the smile of a lab worker after verifying the effectiveness of a research method. Using EVA to defeat the Angels—this plan was repeatable and feasible; proving that was enough. Today's battle would soon become the fulcrum for his intelligence battles with his superiors, and for that, all sacrifices in terms of numbers, economy, and society were negligible.

"Operation complete. Recover EVA."

"..."

On the screen, the monster that stood silently in the sea of ​​fire suddenly turned its head at an odd angle and looked at the new Odawara Port not far away.

"Unit-01 has acted on its own!"

"How could this be?" Ritsuko stared at the scene on the screen, utterly astonished. "Is Shinji manipulating it?"

"That shouldn't be the case. Judging from the heartbeat and breathing rate transmitted from the scene, the driver is still unconscious!"

"So, the aftereffects of its rampage haven't ended yet?" Misato stared at her own Unit-01 moving on the screen, equally puzzled. "But it clearly calmed down just now. The Angels were annihilated; there shouldn't be any reason for it to fight anymore. Why is it still..."

……

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The heavy footsteps, like drumbeats, pounded in everyone's hearts, seemingly urging them to make a decision quickly. Unit-01 ignored the radio waves coming from underground; in fact, since the moment its energy was depleted, it had completely broken free from NERV's control. At this moment, it was walking towards the shore step by step entirely by its own will.

"Notify all departments to proceed according to the previously prepared Emergency Plan No. 9. All available armed equipment and all ground and air defense systems to begin early warning. Third Neo-Tokyo City, enter the highest level of combat readiness. Unit Zero, prepare within five minutes!"

"Unit Zero?" Even Ritsuko, who was relatively hard-hearted, was taken aback by this decision. "But Zero's body is still..."

"Unit-01 is a crucial tool in our fight against the Angels; we cannot afford to take any chances." Gendo Ikari's voice was icy cold, like the light reflected behind his square glasses. "We must ensure Unit-01's safe return at all costs!"

Chapter 339: The Gap in Technology Points

Shinji Ikari awoke in the cold, damp air.

The unfamiliar cockpit left him somewhat confused, unable to immediately discern his location or the source of the slight vibrations around him. After a long while, he finally remembered his terrifying 12-hour ordeal. He shook his head and groaned in pain. The pilot's suit, clinging tightly to his body, felt extremely uncomfortable; his waist and back felt as if they were bound by ropes, and his chest felt constricted.

"Could it be that I won? In that situation... I even defeated the apostle?"

"Ms. Misato?"

He tried calling out the name of the woman who had personally sent him aboard Unit-01, but with Unit-01's power completely depleted, all communication with the outside world was shut down. No one could answer his calls, and no one could answer his current question—why was Unit-01 still moving when there was no power? He tried pulling the control stick, but it was completely useless, like a decoration.

"What exactly happened... Wasn't my mission supposed to end after the apostle disappeared?"

Stranded between heaven and earth, trapped in this small, cramped, and dark space, unable to contact anyone.

The 14-year-old boy, who was essentially forced to board Unit-01, felt his fear swell to its extreme at this moment.

His hands gripped the joystick tightly, and his emotions were thrown into a vortex of extreme unease.

"How could this happen... I did everything you said I didn't want to ride in this thing at all... Are you just going to abandon me like this?"

"I've had enough! Let me down! Let me..."

His words were abruptly interrupted, abruptly choked off.

"Boom—!!"

Beneath the lightning and in the torrential rain, he saw an incredibly tall figure. Like the EVA he piloted, it possessed a massive size comparable to a skyscraper, even dozens of meters taller than him. This behemoth was currently leaning against a building with one hand, rain cascading down its surface like a waterfall, the murky, cold mist unable to conceal its sharp, metallic sheen.

At this very moment, in NERV's underground headquarters, everyone saw the suddenly appearing mecha through the monitoring system built into the EVA itself.

A silent silence spread out, and no one spoke first. Even Gendo Ikari, who was always as calm as a mountain, was stunned for three seconds by this scene.

"Um..." Misato Katsuragi's voice was very soft, as if she were dreaming, "...also an Apostle?"

"Judging from its appearance, it looks more like some kind of artificial object. The limbs, torso, and head are similar in structure to a human, and it didn't trigger the alarm response that would have been given when the Angels descended." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki rarely opened his eyes wide, carefully staring at the scene transmitted back on the screen, not wanting to miss a single pixel. "However, right now, all the world's financial resources should be concentrated on the EVA construction project. Which side has the spare capacity to build such a behemoth?"

"..."

A massive amount of information flashed through his mind, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on Gendo Ikari's forehead. His expression was no longer as calm as before.

EVA, Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Angels, Chosen Ones, Dead Sea Scrolls… Long before the dust settled, a meticulous plan had already been constructed in his mind, linking each element to the next, each step playing an irreplaceable role.

The current battle is a crucial step in demonstrating strength to "SEELE," the organization that oversees NERV.

He first deployed a bunch of conventional weapons, suffered a crushing defeat, and then had EVA make a grand entrance to salvage the situation, proving the plan's feasibility and thus securing further funding and resources. To achieve his ultimate goal, he was willing to use anything, even his own son—in fact, through various means of coercion and enticement, he always maintained a firm grip on Shinji's mental state.

His heart skipped a beat the moment the steel giant appeared on screen.

Unforeseen factors began to emerge.

"Can you contact the driver?"

"We're trying, Commander! But most of the EVA's electronic control systems were destroyed in the battle against Sakir (the Angel who first appeared and attacked Tokyo-3), and Unit-01's backup energy is almost depleted, making it difficult. We're docking with Unit-01's built-in neural sympathetic network, but the signal here seems to be interfered with; we need to increase..."

"Roar-----!!!"

Before we could finish analyzing this, Unit-01 in the video suddenly let out a beast-like roar.

With its hands hanging down and bent into claws, spread wide in front of its chest, Unit-01 resembled a bloodthirsty beast.

His long, slender yet powerful legs stomped across the ground, leaving a series of crater-like footprints. Rain lashed against his menacing exterior, and shockwaves rippled across his surface, creating rings of varying sizes.

Shinji, sitting in the cockpit of the mech and having never received a minute of pre-battle training, was naturally completely bewildered. At this moment, the mech was utterly ignoring his will as the pilot, but he seemed to be able to sense the intense emotions emanating from the machine through the control stick.

fear.

What they feared was not the towering steel giant, but something gleaming inside its body.

In the worldview of wild beasts, the greatest respect for a threat is to exterminate it completely.

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.

Unit-01's main selling point was its long reach and long legs, allowing it to cover distances of several hundred meters with ease. In the torrential rain, this steel giant stood motionless, showing no sign of movement. Raindrops pattered crisply against its steel surface.

The massive object moved rapidly across the road, generating wind pressure that shattered the windows of surrounding buildings, scattering them like a galaxy. Driven by instinct, the berserk Unit-01 roared into the air dozens of meters away, crushing an entire road in its wake.

Twist your body.

Rotation.

Swing your arms.

His right arm lashed out like a whip, breaking through the sound barrier in the air and unleashing a sonic boom powerful enough to disperse the rain.

……

"Thump—!!!"

……

"So fast!" Misato exclaimed in surprise, half-covering her mouth, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, increasingly worried about Shinji's situation.

"So fast." Gendo Ikari sighed inwardly. Some of the plans he had devised against this giant mech had all vanished after that one punch.

"So fast..." Shinji was the only one who could personally feel this.

The pilot of an EVA needs to connect to the EVA's central nervous system via a neural probe at the tip of the insertion plug, forming a bidirectional pathway. A higher synchronization rate grants greater operational flexibility, but this also has a dual drawback: some damage to the EVA itself will be transferred to the pilot. Shinji hadn't even reacted when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his jaw, as if he'd been punched hard. His ears were ringing, and he could barely see clearly.

They arrived first, even though they started later.

Its shoulders, elbows, and wrists simultaneously unfold and deform, activating an acceleration device similar to rocket propulsion.

No matter how ferocious Unit-01 looked, its essence was still that of a biological weapon, and it still judged its opponents based on the logic of biological behavior. Little did it know that the person it was facing was not biological at all. This triple-acceleration punch was like a heavy cannon, exploding directly in his face!

……

Time resumes its flow.

Unit-01's "slender" body was forced to stand upright for a few seconds, then it rose into the air, spun three and a half times, and crashed heavily into a building.

Chapter 340: AT Field

This earth-shattering punch not only temporarily knocked out Unit-01, but it was also like casting a massive silencing spell on the NERV underground operations center, thousands of meters away.

This Unit-01 can be said to embody humanity's entire understanding of science in this era, born from the sap of wisdom.

EVA stands for "General Purpose Humanoid Decisive Weapon," and just from the name, you can tell how high the expectations its inventors had for it. In the face of the Angels' rampage, these massive machines are arguably humanity's only hope for protection. At least, in the recent Sakir annihilation battle, Unit-01's combat capabilities were undoubtedly tested. No one expected that, still in its berserk state, it would suffer such a heavy loss in this new round of combat.

……

"Thump—!!"

Following an elegant parabola, Unit-01 nose-first slammed into the unfortunate building, shards of glass and steel rebar embedded in its body like countless tiny burrs. But the pain was almost insignificant at this moment—its jaw had been completely shattered by the rocket punch, its entire jaw dangling outwards, blood gushing out like a fountain, a truly horrifying sight, its neck and head almost detached.

"This mobility... is absolutely something no human could create!" Vice Commander Fuyutsuki said with absolute certainty. "Whether or not someone is piloting it, the enemy's reaction speed is a level above ours, practically achieving zero latency. The pilot of Unit-01 has the highest synchronization rate to date in the experiment, yet he still managed to gain the upper hand in close combat!"

This can't go on.

"Are the ground troops in position?" Gendo Ikari realized the situation was dire, and his voice on the channel was unusually anxious. "At all costs, provide fire support for Unit-01's retreat!"

……