Nobita's Time Heist

"So, you cooperated with him without knowing anything about it?"

"Tsk...you, are you looking down on me?" The drawback of low emotional intelligence became apparent at this moment. After evolving for 3 million years, the Phoenicians' intelligence was definitely not a problem, even higher than the average level of most civilizations. However, she had been drifting in the universe, without a group or anyone to communicate with, so she easily revealed her emotions and was the type to bite at any opportunity.

Nobita merely threw out a bait, and she fell for his provocation, eagerly retorting.

"They came to me on their own initiative, saying that if I wanted to get revenge on Nobita, I could try cooperating with them."

Hearing this, Nobita was shocked. The Foundation's way of winning over Phoenicia was to directly offer her an opportunity to "get back at" him? In other words, the Apairon Foundation had already investigated their past conflict long before the entire plan even began. Bringing her in was purely to hinder his efforts to save the future.

It seems that his every move was actually within their calculations... This feeling of being secretly held hostage made him very uncomfortable.

"You just said 'they,' which means it's not just Jia Kun alone?" Da Xiong continued to press, "Who else is there?"

"Since we're going to die anyway, just do me a little humanitarian favor before I die, and let me die knowing why."

Nobita had many tools to get people to tell the truth, such as "Tackled to Be Honest," "Honest Taro," and "Truth Pills"... but he didn't use any of them. He wanted to get the answer by simply opening his mouth and asking directly. He had thoroughly figured out Phoenician psychology; only in this way would she not feel "manipulated" and would willingly tell him everything.

As expected, the girl first raised her eyebrows, gave a disdainful sneer, and had an expression that said, "I really can't do anything with you."

"Since we've come this far, I'll mercifully tell you so you can die knowing why."

It's hard to imagine that someone could be fooled twice by Nobita in a single day. Last time, she asked him for a gadget and got scammed, and less than an hour later, Phoenicia was completely trusting him again. Perhaps this is the confidence that comes with absolute power—she felt that no matter what schemes or tricks they tried, nothing could stop her breath. Having evolved to this level, if she still had to play those tricks with mortals, wouldn't all 3 million years of evolution have been wasted?

"The Apairon Foundation is an organization that you humans created at some point in time. Ha... Speaking of which, it's quite laughable. The president of that foundation said something to me that I still remember."

He asked me, 'Do you know why human eyes are located in the front?'

……

Nobita's heart skipped a beat, and his pupils widened in disbelief.

"It's about looking forward, not clinging to the 'past,' and striving for tomorrow... Hahaha... It's been a long time since I've heard such lousy motivational quotes, don't you think?"

Chapter 442: Nobita and the Blue Bird

Sure enough, asking more questions does have its benefits. And sure enough, one question uncovered a shocking secret!

Is it a coincidence?

It must be a coincidence!

Rather, it's more accurate to say that Nobita can't accept the reality that it wasn't a coincidence; perhaps that's too cruel for him.

why?

There are countless famous quotes and inspirational sayings in the world, so why was this particular one chosen as the founding motto of the Apairon Foundation? While a theory of "coincidence" still exists, after a month and a half of intricately linked adventures, Nobita is increasingly certain that there are no coincidences in this world, at least not in his case. This is the power of the Time-Space Anchor—while balancing everything, it also becomes entangled in the cause and effect of everything!

……

A long time ago, on a rather sultry afternoon, Da Xiong sat listlessly in his classroom seat. The school bell had already rung, but he seemed not to hear it, sitting there blankly. Lately, it was as if he was experiencing a series of unfortunate events, one after another, making him feel like he couldn't breathe.

The town's baseball tournament is coming up, and Gian is extremely dissatisfied with his skill level, demanding extra practice and frequently swinging his bat to hit others. His mother is unhappy with his test scores; he's getting zeros left and right, and he's even losing his focus on one subject altogether—every subject is abysmal. If he doesn't improve, she'll take away his monthly allowance. Other misfortunes keep happening, like being hit by a car, being bitten by a dog on the street, getting splashed by a passing bicycle, and Shizuka and Dekisugi chatting and laughing during recess (at this time, Nobita is easily jealous)... These kinds of unfortunate events keep happening. Even Nobita, the king of resilience, is starting to feel exhausted.

Is it possible that my existence is a mistake from the start? Just like in a class exam, there's always someone who comes in last place. Is he destined to be last among everyone, just to give the others some psychological comfort?

Even though he knew the answer, Nobita couldn't help but think that way.

Everyone experiences highs and lows, and once you fall into a low period, it's very difficult to shake off negative thinking. Given Nobita's terrible lifestyle, it was only a matter of time before he entered a low period.

"Why haven't you left yet, Nobita?" A teacher passing by saw him alone in the classroom and came in to ask. After understanding what had happened, the teacher laughed and patted Nobita on the shoulder. "I thought something was wrong. How can a grown man give up because of such a small setback? You have a long life ahead of you. If you don't do well today, try to do better tomorrow. Isn't that enough?"

Seeing that Nobita still looked somewhat dejected, the teacher cleared his throat and asked, "Tell me, why are human eyes located in the front?"

"It's all about looking forward! Don't let past failures hold you back; keep striving towards tomorrow!"

The first taste of inspiration in life is always the most delicious, and Nobita is no exception.

He immediately felt as if he had found a new direction in life, bursting with energy and eager to share his excitement and insights with others. However, after searching for a long time, he found that others either didn't understand him or thought it was a boring riddle. Reality was cruel; no one cared what he had realized, everyone was busy with their own things.

But Nobita wasn't willing to give up, so he borrowed the "Heartwarming Microphone" from Doraemon. This device was practically a Yuri; anything said with it, even the slightest sound, could move people to tears. In the end, as expected, Nobita went too far and, with the microphone's power, farted, instantly moving the crowd to tears. The story ended in a rather absurd way.

……

The process was somewhat tortuous, but Nobita carefully treasured those words in his heart. Whenever he felt he couldn't hold on any longer, he would take them out and savor them, drawing some comforting solace from them. He never dreamed that one day he would actually hear those words from Apairon Foundation.

Although I don't want to think in that direction, I have to start considering the worst-case scenario.

The Apairon Foundation and I may have some kind of profound connection.

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.

"Jia Kun's position is only that of vice president. There are several vice presidents in that foundation, each responsible for different matters, so it's not surprising. He's just a 'henchman,' albeit a high-ranking one... The real decision-maker is the only one."

"The first time I saw him, the chairman was wearing a mask, looking very mysterious. My vision couldn't penetrate the mask; I didn't know what it was made of, so I couldn't see his face. But his build... was about the same as yours. He wore a black robe that covered him from head to toe, like a black cloud, with a bluebird spreading its wings and about to take flight printed on his chest. He spoke in a very literary manner and liked to put his hands behind his back."

Bluebird.

This is yet another image that makes Nobita's heart sink.

"What did you all say? Can you tell me?"

"You seem quite interested in this group," Phoenicia said, looking at him with a half-smile. "What, do you know anyone in here?"

"If you're looking for that round, blue raccoon, I advise you to give up. There is one, it does look similar in size and appearance, but it's not yours," Phoenicia said with a sneer. "I could recognize you and that guy even if they were ashes, it's definitely not you."

Nobita was so impressed he wanted to give her a banner of praise. She'd revealed crucial information without him even trying; he should have asked her sooner. In just a few minutes, she'd gathered more information than he'd gained from a month of arduous adventures!

“I asked those guys, ‘You’re actually humans from the future, right? Executing this plan will cause huge changes to the past. Will you still exist then?’”

"Then, that mysterious guy in the black robe asked me again..."

Have you ever heard of the Osaka Theory?

"..." Nobita's eyebrows furrowed tightly. With so many familiar elements combined, the last glimmer of hope he had was finally extinguished.

As the initiator of the Osaka Theory, he is inextricably linked to all of this, like a whirlpool about to drag him into an abyss.

“As long as the destination is Osaka, then no matter whether you take a boat, a plane, or a land road, you will eventually reach Osaka. Similarly, some things will eventually happen no matter what means are used, whether they are intense or peaceful.”

"I think this theory is utter nonsense, but since that's how humans perceive space and time, I have no reason to reject it. He seems to see cooperating with me as a prerequisite for achieving some predetermined future... Well, it's a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship anyway, so it's actually more convenient for me."

Finally, she revealed her claws and teeth, giving Nobita a chilling smile.

"We've been chatting long enough. I'm talking to you while taking a huge risk and barely suppressing the urge to kill you."

"So……"

What do you plan to give me in return?

Chapter 443: The Unkillable Nobita

"I'm offering you a choice, an opportunity you might have thought was long gone, but which allows you to start over. How about it?"

Phoenicia's expression froze. Originally, she had only meant to say this to bolster her confidence, implying that she was about to start and Phoenicia had better be prepared for a quick end. What she hadn't anticipated was that even at this stage, with almost all the pieces on the board played, leaving only the king and general face-to-face, Da Xiong still hadn't given up on his peace negotiation plan. He intended to make one last desperate move, clinging to that faint hope. This persistent effort seemed somewhat laughable to her.

"Ha, if you're serious, then you're even more..."

“I know that the past cannot be retrieved. Your homeland is now completely controlled by the Winged People civilization, and your size is comparable to that of an entire ordinary civilization. The two cannot coexist in the same ecosystem. Even if we forcibly send you back, it will only end in a war.”

“A massacre,” Phoenicia corrected him with a laugh. “There won’t be a ‘war,’ Nobita. Back then, all I had to do was breathe fire, and I could crush them into a rout. If I went back now, the situation would only be more one-sided. But that’s a kind of luck, isn’t it? Atomic breath swept across the city, and in less than a second, the physical body evaporated, and from then on, I never had to suffer the pain of birth, aging, sickness, and death again…”

"No, no, that would be too easy on them. How can I let these alien species, who have taken over my homeland and thrown stones at me, get away with it so easily? I should just flip over and crush them one by one with my body! Like a stone crushing sesame seeds, listen carefully to the crackling sound, hahaha!"

Da Xiong was used to her occasional erratic behavior. He waited expressionlessly for her to finish speaking before continuing, "Taking all this into account, I've prepared a completely new ecological environment for you to explore freely. The ecosystem there is roughly what Earth was like five million years ago. There's no intelligent life yet; it's quite primitive, so you don't need to worry about conflict with any civilization. You can settle down there and live the life you want."

"To put it simply, I want to end the war and make peace with you, but the price is a habitable planet."

……

These words carried enough weight to elicit a long silence. Phoenicia immediately dropped his ready-to-go-out-and-go stance, shut his mouth, and began to think seriously.

A habitable planet.

If we broaden our perspective to the universe, we will find that this is actually a rather demanding condition.

Phoenicia had the ability to fly through space, but finding a habitable planet in the vastness of the world, one capable of nurturing life, was like finding a clean water source in the desert. Even if they found one, it would most likely be under the control of the Space Federation. Launching an attack rashly would only result in the Space Federation's suppression and siege.

No one wants to spend their life on a lifeless, dull planet, and she was no exception.

However, considering practical factors, it seems that there aren't many options for her to choose from.

"How did you find it?" Phoenicia asked in a low voice.

"You said before that I wouldn't know how to use Origin Technology at all, right?" Nobita asked with a smile. "After I went back, I thought about it carefully and finally figured out where our differences lie."

"In your eyes, a secret gadget is a 'weapon,' and it must unleash its maximum destructive power to gain your approval. But in my opinion, the real power of a secret gadget lies not in how much destruction it can cause—any other weapon could do that. What it can create... is what is truly precious."

Nobita reached into his pocket, a gesture that caused Phoenicia a lot of trouble. He subconsciously moved his head back, as if afraid that Nobita would pull out some strange thing and blow his head off.

For a fleeting moment, Nobita really wanted to take out the "Everything Crusher" that Kurt had given him and shoot Phoenicia in the head to see if it would have any effect. But in the end, he restrained himself, took out several gadgets from his pocket, and lined them up on the ground.

"【Compressed air ingots】."

"【Fast-growing vegetation lichen】."

"【Multi-purpose faucet】".

"【Seawater Extract】".

"【Encyclopedia of Ancient Biology】".

……

This wasn't Nobita's first time playing the Creator God game; he was quite adept at it, and within two minutes, all the necessary items were there, nothing missing. The races he created had basically all developed their own civilizations, some even possessing remarkably advanced technology.

The combination of these items is roughly equivalent to directly activating Minecraft Creative Mode!

"Transforming a planet into a habitable state is not a difficult task for me." He didn't boast too much, patted his chest, and said realistically, "As long as you agree, we can implement this plan immediately... No more war or bloodshed. This is the best compensation I can think of to make for you."

"So, are you willing to accept these conditions?"

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.

"pity……"

A glint of crimson light flickered in her eyes, and it was clear that, for a moment, Phoenicia had indeed wavered.

But soon, the temptation of that cold dish made her abandon all reason and be filled with anger again—she really had no other choice. She could betray anyone but herself, who had waited 3 million years for revenge.

Her mouth split open at an abnormal angle, almost reaching her ears, and sunlight swirled erratically in her throat like a raging hurricane.

"This is truly goodbye, Nobita."

She tilted her head back, her delicate neck seemingly about to snap, and with tremendous force, she shook it, exhaling a burst of intense, bright orange breath. A massive crater was instantly blasted into the red Gobi Desert, and in the blink of an eye, Da Xiong's figure was swallowed up within it. Having learned from her previous failure, Phoenicia didn't hold back this time, releasing her breath almost face-to-face to ensure Da Xiong had no time to react, and to witness firsthand how he was consumed by the intense heat.

Amidst her excitement, she unexpectedly felt a strange emotion—emptiness.

ended.

Nobita is dead; no living being could survive such an attack.

She suddenly felt like a greedy diner who had devoured the cold dishes in a few bites, only to find herself facing an empty plate with nothing left to eat. How pitiful, how tragic! It felt as if the burning flame within her had been extinguished, its flame gone. How was she supposed to endure the incredibly long life ahead? Should she simply enter a million-year-long period of hibernation?

If I had known this would happen, why didn't I pretend to accept his peace talks first, let him settle the matter of the habitable planet, and then kill him?

Oops!

Phoenicia regretted his actions, but when he turned around, he saw Nobita standing there perfectly fine, without a single hair missing.

"I definitely hit you just now, how did you... Never mind, this is even better!" She licked her lips, revealing an extremely excited expression, turned her head, and grinned maliciously at Da Xiong, "This way, I can kill you again!"

Chapter 444: Ape God, Activate!

Gradually, Phoenicia sensed something was wrong. He had killed Nobita nearly two hundred times, yet new Nobitas kept pouring out from all directions. From initial regret and confusion, to the relentless killing spree of "when I bloom, all others wither," she finally realized something was amiss. Revenge is like a cold dish—it tastes better when it's cooled down—that's certainly true, but the current situation is like eating the same thing over and over again; even the best dish gets tiresome after a while.

How did she do it? — This was the most genuine question in her mind at that moment.

If it were Origin Technology creating illusions or something similar, it wouldn't be difficult for her to see through it, given her abilities. However, each Nobita was real, possessing a real flesh and blood body, appearing one after another from various corners. The moment they showed their faces, they were mercilessly blown apart by her own atomic breath, and then the above process repeated endlessly... Of course, the atomic core couldn't be depleted of ammunition in this way, but as this tedious game continued, a large hole had unknowingly been burned into the Gobi Desert. Phoenicia cautiously stopped; she felt she had entered Nobita's rhythm, and in actual combat, there was nothing more dangerous than this.

Da Xiong stood in front of her, smiling as if he would have no complaints even if he were to be breathed down to dust the next second.

"How...how did you do that? Logically speaking, it's impossible!"

“Yeah, logically speaking.” Da Xiong suddenly changed the subject and asked, “Why don’t you just come at me directly? Go up to the sky above Tsukimidai Town, release your true form, and stomp the entire town into pieces. Destroy my hometown and everyone I know… It wouldn’t be difficult for you, would it? As long as you ask the people from the Apairon Foundation to bring you to my time, the rest would be a piece of cake.”

"But you didn't. You went through a whole roundabout way, using an inexplicable tactic to retaliate against me. There must be a reason for this. I've been thinking about it, but you know I'm slow-witted, and I still haven't figured it out..."

"boom-----!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Phoenicia sensed the threat, opened her massive maw, and unleashed a breath attack, forcefully swallowing him whole with her blazing miniature sun. The rising red smoke finally calmed her slightly, but this self-defeating attack was clearly pointless. However, just a few seconds later, Nobita's voice came from another direction.

“After a trip to the 22nd century and a talk with Kurt, I suddenly had an idea.”

"He told me that the core principle of the secret gadget has not been deciphered by humans. Given the current level of human capabilities, it is virtually impossible to achieve this level of breakthrough within 100 years relying solely on internal drive. Therefore, there must be external factors driving the explosive development of human technology."

"Origin Technology, originating from a miraculous civilization in deep space, right?"

"Although there's no basis for it, you're afraid that there are countless connections between Earth and that civilization. If you directly attack its inhabitants, it will provoke a siege from the miraculous civilization. It seems that your strength is not enough to truly confront that civilization head-on. Am I right?"