Nobita's Time Heist

Not once.

"You? Are you a coward?" Da Xiong looked at him with a surprised look and laughed heartlessly, "I don't think so. I'm the coward of the five of us."

"Give me a break... If you don't have guts, then no one in the world would dare to claim to be brave." Xiao Fu shook his head and said irritably, "A person without guts wouldn't dare to dive into the deep sea alone and cross the Pacific Ocean. You're not just cowardly, you're too brave, so brave that you don't know what to do with it."

(From the Ooyama version of the TV series "Doraemon Appears, Nobita's Great Undersea Adventure". In this episode, Nobita received a series of gadgets from Dorami and jumped into the sea from Tokyo Bay alone, crossing the Pacific Ocean on foot. He is a true fighter among reckless men.)

"Let's get back to the main topic. I have some deep feelings about that adventure in 1615... Toyotomi Hideyori's sudden suicide was beyond our preparation. Gian could only try to grow to giant size first, and the battle didn't go well. If you had arrived a few minutes later, it's hard to say what would have happened..."

He took a deep breath and looked at Da Xiong with some trepidation, afraid of seeing even the slightest bit of contempt or disdain in his eyes.

However, Nobita just looked at him quietly, waiting for his next words.

“In these battles, I gradually realized that as long as I don’t ‘face’ the enemy, I’m not afraid. I mean, if I can control some kind of vehicle to separate myself from the enemy… that feeling of panic and tension completely disappears, and I can even perform beyond my usual level.”

"I need a suit of armor that I can put on anytime and use in battle!"

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.

"In this kind of weather, it's unbearable without a shower..." Shizuka came out of the bathroom, fiddling with her hair. She looked radiant, as if she had become a different person, with a rosy complexion. "There's still plenty of hot water."

"Do you shower every day?" Asur muttered, looking at her blissful expression. "You're mostly sitting in the car, so you probably don't sweat much, right?"

"That won't do either. Girls have to shower every day!" Shizuka never jokes about this with anyone.

Rather than saying she has a slight case of mysophobia, it's more accurate to say she genuinely enjoys the act of bathing itself, rather than just cleaning her body. Just like Nobita's excessive sleepiness isn't because he needs rest, but because he simply enjoys sleeping, in a sense, these two are equally adept at having strange hobbies.

"It's okay if I don't shower," Asur said, trying to be tactful. "I didn't sweat too much on the way, and besides, I'm a little..."

"Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing you take a bath." Her words only made things worse, prompting Shizuka to start thinking. She suddenly realized, "Spending so much time on Columbus's ship, hiding in a wooden tub soaked in seawater, and then going to the West, to those turbulent places… Thinking about it…"

"My God!"

After a quick calculation, Shizuka's face turned ashen, as if ants were crawling on it.

"Well," Asur could only laugh awkwardly, "actually, I'm not the type to sweat easily..."

"boom!"

Almost forcibly, Shizuka pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "I left your change of clothes in the closet on your right. Remember to take your time showering!"

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 rising white steam and the warm, comforting orange light made Asur hesitate. To prevent her voice from being detected, she bit her lip tightly.

The water in the bathtub had been drained, but a few drops of water inevitably clung to the rim.

She carefully extended her fingers, as if she were about to touch not water, but some kind of chemical substance that needed to be handled with utmost care.

Finally, the fair skin collided with the clean water droplets.

"hiss----!!!"

"Woo..."

The burning pain came faster than expected, and Asur's face contorted in agony as he swiftly withdrew his finger and put it in his mouth.

"Damn it... Jaqen Helma..."

A chilling hatred flashed in the petite girl's eyes. "I'll tear you to pieces sooner or later!"

Chapter 90: Conspiracy, Tycoons, and the Golden Land

Nobita, who was fast asleep, was hard to wake up by anything. So much so that even after the buzzer went off twice, he was still half asleep and thought he was dreaming.

Until a violent explosion came from the sand.

"boom----!!"

The sound almost jolted him out of bed. Even in the chaos, he quickly pulled out the most suitable items from his pocket—the Bamboo Dragonfly, the Air Cannon, and the Protective Cloak—and flew out the window. Looking down, the open-air restaurant that had been peaceful just hours before was now the front line of a battlefield. Curses echoed from the sandpit not far away, accompanied by a barrage of gunfire. To be honest, having just returned from the Wild West, seeing the rapid-fire bullets of the modern world felt like cheating.

However, their opponent was the transformed America. He didn't need any cover at all; in fact, he himself was a giant cover.

All sorts of shells came flying at him, exploding one after another on his body, but only scraping off a few patches of paint.

Conversely, the weapons used by the US dollar were considered alien technology by the enemy. Scorching plasma shot from the short guns like summer thunder, instantly vitrifying the sand upon impact. Amidst the deafening roar of artillery fire, the disparity in firepower determined everything on this barren desert. Before long, the battle devolved into a one-sided massacre.

"Rockets! Rockets!"

Amidst panicked screams, a rocket shot through the air, only to be abruptly deflected by a round shield formed from US dollars with a sharp, unexpected "clang." The rocket's trajectory was thus dramatically altered, flying into the air like a baseball, becoming a dazzling yet harmless firework.

"Thump—!!"

The flames and impact spread rapidly, but were blocked by Nobita's protective cloak. Even though he was alert enough, his hand movement was a second too slow, and he was caught by the impact and slammed hard against the window of the portable hotel.

"haialaoka——!!"

Meijin seemed extremely excited about the great shot, cursing a cyberbully before smoothly sliding in and kicking up a large cloud of sand. A massive metal behemoth, impervious to any angle of attack, moved with incredible agility and possessed astonishing firepower; its mere presence was enough to shatter the will of most people. Clearly, these night raiders were not exactly men of strong will either.

Their will to resist crumbled instantly, and amidst cries of anguish and screams, they turned and ran.

“kakulolo…”

"Wait, US dollars!" Nobita shouted, "Don't..."

"Boom!"

The compressed plasma at close range vaporized the invaders' flesh and blood instantly. It could be said that the person closest to the gun barrel was actually lucky, at least they didn't feel too much pain.

However, some unlucky people, those on the verge of being shot... are not so fortunate.

……

"ah------!!!"

A mournful howl echoed through the night sky, sending chills down everyone's spine. No language was needed; the sounds of injury and death were etched deep into the genes of every human being. A fully armed soldier, grazed by the intense heat of the plasma, lost a leg as easily as if it had been erased by an eraser.

Unfortunately, the neat wound did not lessen his pain.

Upon hearing Nobita's order, Meijin stopped attacking and obediently stood aside.

"Nobita, this..."

Upon arriving at the scene and seeing the blood-soaked sight, everyone looked somewhat uncomfortable, and Shizuka immediately raised her hand to cover Asur's eyes.

However, she didn't notice that Asur's expression was actually unusually calm, as if he was completely unmoved by it.

"Was it done with US dollars?"

"Lulululu——!" The American was even quite proud of this, giving them a thumbs up.

“Meijin won’t cause trouble on his own initiative. I gave him the order to protect our safety.” Da Xiong steadied himself, took out the [Translation Konjac Chips] from his pocket, and tore them into five pieces as if by unspoken agreement. He muttered, “Looks like Xiaoshan has also fallen into a rather complicated place.”

After swallowing the cold konjac in a few bites, Da Xiong slowly turned around, trying his best to calm himself down.

In extreme fear, few people can hold back, especially someone with a broken leg like you.

As long as he remains calm, he will be happy to speak.

"Who are you people?" Nobita subconsciously imitated Arthur's interrogation tone, trying to make his voice low and his eyes cold. "Why did you attack our camp?!"

"Ah... my legs... my legs..."

“We have a doctor on our team. Honestly, perhaps out of humanitarian considerations and the Hippocratic Oath, she might treat you.” Xiao Fu skillfully played the latter of the good cop/bad cop archetype. “However, I suggest you hurry. Our medical resources are very strained, and besides…”

"You don't have much blood left."

This barbed string of words was far more insidious than any interrogation, offering both hope and a stark reminder of his predicament. Regardless of any previous agreements, the man disregarded them, rattling off a rapid-fire statement: "I...we belong to the Windbringer Group...the Red-Tailed Scorpion Special Forces..."

The group exchanged glances, their expressions clearly conveying utter bewilderment.

No, buddy, who the hell are you?!

"Mercenaries, then...who are you hired by?"

Faced with professional ethics and the reality of the situation, he hesitated for less than a second before immediately confessing, "It's...it's a crown prince of Dubai. We don't know his exact name, but...he offered a huge sum of money, a truly huge sum! This is what we do. No matter how absurd the order, we have to carry it out. This is the code of this line of work...hiss...it's ours..."

As he spoke, he inhaled sharply, causing him to gasp for breath in pain. Shizuka frowned at the sight, but for the sake of the bigger picture, she suppressed her pity and refrained from interrupting.

"He said, or... he believed, that in the Liva Desert there exists a place called the Golden Land, where there is countless wealth, gold, and some kind of magical power."

"The Golden Land?" Xiao Fu was stunned for a few seconds. "Are you sure... this is something a rich person would believe in?"

“Who knows? I heard he’s dying! People who are dying will believe anything!” The man’s voice trembled. “Golden Land, Sky City, Peach Blossom Spring… every place has similar legends. He just chose the closest one, wanting to use magic to cure his illness… that’s all I know.”

Things that sound funny are often true, because human imagination is always limited, and reality is unpredictable.

“Alright, let’s believe you for now. Deep in the desert, there’s a mysterious city built of gold and magic. How are you going to get there?” Xiaofu asked. “Just plunge into the desert and try your luck?”

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.

"Regarding this, we..."

"Boom————!!!"

The next moment, his narration was interrupted by a loud bang. A huge shadow suddenly emerged from the sand, opening its massive mouth and fangs, and with incredible speed, snatched him away like an osprey hunting a small fish. The behemoth was a full five meters tall, or rather, five meters "long," because the sound it made was unlike any other wild animal.

Instead, it is another kind of existence, one that chills the heart.

"I go……"

Fat Tiger gasped and exclaimed, "What a huge cockroach!"

Chapter 91: Signs of a Great Adventure

Calling it a cockroach isn't entirely accurate. While its body shape and structure resemble a cockroach, a closer look reveals a head almost like a mammal's, and mouthparts large enough to swallow a large person. Its exoskeleton is predominantly jet black, like a hard suit of armor. Its two antennae tremble in the night wind, like two antennas receiving signals, sending chills down your spine.

"Ah...ah—!!"

Modern humans haven't tasted what it's like to be preyed upon by other species for a long time. When this moment arrives, the terrifying memories of being hunted by other species, originating in ancient times and still at the middle of the food chain, resurface. For a fleeting instant, his gaze met that of Nobita and the others on the ground. He could no longer speak; only hoarse screams remained.

Humans, the most intelligent of all creatures, have been reduced to prey. In the isolated, desolate desert, humanity, this tiny species, seems to have returned to its rightful place in the food chain. This scene greatly shocked Da Xiong and his friends; for a moment, they stood there, stunned, unable to react.

Except for Asur.

She watched all this quietly, as if she were an outsider, focusing her gaze on the poor man.

Within his pupils, crimson light flickered quietly like two clusters of flames.

"Crack!"

Before his two rows of upper and lower jaws could snap together, his neck was seized by an unseen force and cleanly snapped.

In a sense, it spared them from suffering.

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.

However, its appetite was clearly not limited to just one person. Its huge head slowly lowered, focusing its gaze on Nobita and his group, its upper and lower jaws rubbing together, emitting a terrifying hissing sound.

"ah----!!"

The scene opens with Shizuka's scream. Meijin, like an adrenaline-fueled, incredibly excited teenager, immediately conjures two short guns from her hands and unleashes a burst of fire at the giant creature. The plasma strikes its shell, rapidly melting and disintegrating parts of it. Even so, the giant insect seems unable to comprehend "pain," merely howling madly, completely ignoring the steel monster, and lunging towards Nobita and his friends.

Unfortunately, despite its size, it still possessed the speed of a cockroach. Detonating a series of sonic booms behind it, almost in the blink of an eye, it targeted Fat Tiger, the largest of the five, and instantly pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

Seeing its head up close, especially the human remains dangling in its mouthparts, was absolutely horrifying. Even the incredibly bold Fat Tiger was so frightened that his pupils dilated, but he still didn't give up the fight, his arms tense, holding the mouthparts shut.

To his surprise, the giant insect's bite force far exceeded his expectations, and it quickly gave way under its pressure, forcibly opening itself.

“Buzz——!”

Meijin raised his right arm, unleashing a cutting heat beam from his palm. It proved that even the most powerful carbon-based lifeform was utterly powerless against a weapon derived from high-energy physics. Its body was instantly sliced ​​in two, the lower half falling to the sand.

A burnt smell wafted over, and what was horrifying was that, despite losing its lower body, its upper body remained completely unaffected, still pressed tightly against Fat Tiger, as if it were a completely different entity from its severed lower body.

"Hell..."

A few seconds is enough time for Nobita to pull the shrinking flashlight out of his pocket.

"when--!!"

As the beam of light shone upon it, the strange insect shrank rapidly. Whether its mind could comprehend this bizarre change or not, the next moment, using only its remaining legs on its upper body, it turned around, burrowed into the sand, and disappeared.

……

The people in the cold wind looked at each other in bewilderment. It all came too fast and went too fast, really like an extremely abstract dream.

"What the hell... What the hell is that?!" Fatty stood up, still shaken, and dusted off his sleeve. "If it had bitten me, should I have gone for a rabies shot or a tetanus shot?"

"Xiao Wu, is this the time to be agonizing over this?!" Shizuka's voice was almost frantic. "What's that old saying again? When you see a cockroach, it means..."

Nobita immediately put on the [Superpower Hat] (which, when worn, temporarily grants him the three classic abilities from the Doraemon universe: telekinesis, teleportation, and X-ray vision) and briefly activated his X-ray vision. What he saw almost made his hair stand on end. Beneath the yellow sand, there were already over a hundred insects lurking, like hunting dogs poised to pounce, waiting only for the command to tear them apart.

Fortunately, they had just won their battle against the scout bug. They seemed to have a special way of communicating; sensing defeat, they immediately judged Nobita and his group as troublesome, and hundreds of bugs began a coordinated retreat under the sand.

Like an underwater current, it is completely silent.