Nobita's Time Heist

Can an ant colony eat an elephant?

More and more skeleton soldiers emerged from the ground, clad in tattered armor, launching a fearless charge to try and overcome the steel giant, only to be blasted to pieces by the scorching plasma. Waves of azure sparks illuminated the cave, and elongated shadows drew ever closer, their dark eye sockets devoid of any emotion.

They have no souls, and therefore have no fear.

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.

"They actually have a magical artifact that can counter the Soul-Capturing Bell. They truly deserve to be called experts in this field."

"but……"

On the other side, Liu Ran made a hand seal with one hand, swung his sword, and scattered specks of dust. The next moment, countless monstrous figures made of clay suddenly rose from the ground, bursting forth with overlapping roars.

"How will you deal with this move?"

"Roar------!!"

They descended from the mountains and emerged from the ground, their bodies as long as tigers and wolves, their forms robust, their heads covered in manes, and their foreheads adorned with vertical pupils that shone with an impeccable crimson hue against the night sky. As they landed on their four paws, they suddenly pushed off the ground with incredible speed, slashing their claws at Da Xiong as they pounced!

Chapter 181: Ability Card

After exchanging blows for a few rounds, Liu Ran had roughly figured out his opponent's strategy—his magic weapon was indeed powerful, but he himself had no magic power and could only fight by taking out magic items from that magical pocket.

The fan that could summon a hurricane at the beginning; the prop that instantly stuck him like a spider web; and the prop that was inexplicably shaped like a rooster and instantly shattered the Soul-Capturing Bell… all of them were taken out of his pocket. It must be because his own abilities were weak that he created that steel golem to protect him; that must be it.

This conclusion aligned perfectly with his combat instincts, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. With a flick of his sleeve, he appeared like a black cloud, instantly imbuing the earth with life, transforming it into a ferocious beast that bared its rock-forged fangs and charged towards him. Liu Ran's plan was equally shrewd: as long as he attacked from multiple directions simultaneously, his opponent wouldn't be able to react in time.

At least, that's what he thinks.

……

At the critical moment, Nobita chose what was almost the best solution to break the deadlock from among all the props.

"【Ability Tape】—!!"

(Ability Tapes: Packaged in a regular storage box, these are a series of tapes that can be inserted into the body through the chest. Different tapes represent different professions' skills; once inserted, the user can quickly master that skill without instruction. In the original work, Nobita experienced various benefits from them, but ultimately accidentally inserted the "Thinking Person" tape. After some deep thought, he realized that Doraemon would one day leave him and he shouldn't rely on the gadget too much, so he voluntarily returned it to Doraemon. This is one of the few times in the slice-of-life anime where he stopped himself from getting too involved after receiving the gadget.)

He had made a promise with Doraemon that from now on, he would rely on "his own thinking" to move forward and would no longer use this gadget. However, at this critical moment, it seemed that he couldn't care less about that... Just a second before the mountain spirit formed from mud pounced on him, he focused his mind highly and triggered the effect of Death Eye once again.

Time ticked by, and Nobita opened the cassette case, expertly picking out the "Kung Fu Master" cassettes he had once used to reverse the Heavenly Gang and beat up Gian and Suneo.

With a click, like the satisfying sound of an old-fashioned electronic device fitting together perfectly, the eyes, which had been somewhat dazed, snapped open again, now sharp and piercing, as if a different person was operating the body.

"Ata—!!"

Nobita let out a signature scream like those in old kung fu movies, and while carrying the storage box, he pushed off the ground with both feet, performing a highly difficult side somersault in mid-air to dodge the pounce and bite of a mountain demon. On the eve of the town's dodgeball tournament, he had undergone unimaginable Spartan-style training to improve his dodging abilities (this scene can be found in the Mizuta version of the new anime "Hot-Blooded! The Town's Dodgeball Battle").

With the power boost from the ability card, his agility was maximized, allowing him to handle a double-digit number of enemies with ease. It was as if he were performing a perfectly synchronized dance, dodging and weaving, avoiding all the pounces and bites from all directions.

"...Really?" This time, it was Liu Ran's turn to stare in disbelief. "With such skill in crafting magical artifacts, how could she possibly still have time..."

"boom----!!"

Another mountain demon brushed past him. Da Xiong ducked low, and a sharp, rock-forged claw grazed his forehead, shaving off a strand of hair. As he straightened up, a crisp "click" rang out, causing his expression to change slightly.

"Did I get a shock... As expected, I don't usually do this kind of strenuous exercise. How could my body possibly handle this all of a sudden?" Da Xiong thought to himself. "Even with the skills of a kung fu master, my physical condition won't change. I can manage to hold my own for a short time, but if this continues, my body won't be able to take it... I have to finish this quickly."

Finding a moment of respite, Nobita put on his bamboo dragonfly, rose into the air, and took out a delicate-looking women's handbag from his pocket.

"【Item Retrieval Handbag】—!"

He unzipped the bag and pointed it at the still rushing river in the distance.

The next moment, a torrent of water gushed from the handbag, flooding the land and instantly scattering the mountain spirits made of earth and stone. While their bodies were indeed immune to slashing and blunt force injuries, they were completely defenseless against water. Da Xiong intentionally increased the height, allowing the water to fall from a higher position; with the added force of gravity, the mountain spirits' bodies crumbled instantly. Their battleground was right next to the river and in a relatively low-lying area, so there was no need to worry about the floodwaters washing away the village.

Amidst the rushing water, Liu Ran's expression shifted repeatedly, her raised eyebrows unable to be lowered.

"It took me forty years...forty years to learn this Five Elements Great Escape Technique from my master, and yet you broke it so easily. Foreigner...heh, you must come from a place where you have no worries about food and clothing, right?"

His left hand was forming some kind of hand seal, and his feet seemed rooted to the ground. The mighty river descending from mid-air did not disturb him in the slightest. Liu Ran took out a half-radish-sized, still twitching ghost ginseng from his sleeve. As he tore it apart, it let out a somewhat shrill scream, which made Da Xiong's face turn pale and a wave of nausea rise in his stomach.

Like chewing betel nut, he tore off a piece and threw it into his mouth, the chewing sound crisp and crunchy, like eating some juicy fruit. An unnatural blush crept onto his gaunt profile, his eyes widened, pupils unfocused, making him appear even more excited than before.

"This move was originally intended for that more troublesome anomaly in Chang'an, but..."

"Saving it for you doesn't seem like an insult to it."

With a flick of his sleeve, as if by magic, a beautifully packaged long box made of purple wood appeared in his hand. He respectfully opened the box, inside which lay several wooden swords, each about the length of a little finger, exquisitely crafted, somewhat like DIY handicrafts from Nobita's era. However, each sword was covered with a slightly glowing yellow talisman, with some kind of pattern written in cinnabar.

After reciting some words, Liu Ran gently peeled off the talisman, bent his finger, and flicked it hard on the hilt of the sword!

"Ding--!!"

The wooden sword seemed to be awakened from its slumber, flying out of the long box and instantly transforming into a real flying sword trailing a cold gleam, heading straight for Nobita's neck.

"brush!"

A cold light flashed.

This was one of the few times Nobita truly brushed shoulders with death. At the last moment, his body reacted instinctively, using the bamboo dragonfly to perform an acrobatic high spin in the air, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow as the flying sword grazed past his head. It was at this moment that he realized this was likely the enemy's final trump card... its intensity and speed were completely different from before, and it was probably beyond the capabilities of any "kung fu master."

Turn around and fly higher!

"They ran away...a wise choice."

With his identity shifting once again, Liu Ran became a hunter, slowly and methodically manipulating the wooden sword in the box.

"But can you escape?"

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.

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

……

The continuous clanging of swords signaled the flying sword breaking free from the talisman's restraints. Like a swift swift venturing into a storm, it soared upwards, piercing the clouds and relentlessly pursuing its target!

Chapter 182: Shifting Stance - Gun

"call out----!!"

With a sharp whistling sound, several flying swords pierced the air. Nobita tried every imaginable flying stunt, but still couldn't shake them off. Despite being the one being chased, his boundless curiosity flared up again: how could these seemingly ordinary swords, with no external or internal power source, compare to 22nd-century flying gadgets?

However, the current situation forced him to abandon his whimsical idea of ​​"grabbing a handful to play with." He had to keep the bamboo dragonfly running at full speed; if he relaxed even slightly, the buzzing sound of swords would come from beside him, like a persistent ghost.

The bamboo dragonfly has a maximum rotation speed of 80 kilometers per hour. It's an anti-gravity device that requires the capture of brainwaves to operate. Maintaining this top speed at all times puts a considerable strain on the mind. Nobita, after all, isn't a real pilot. Prolonged, rapid aerial maneuvers took their toll, and he began to see faint black spots. It was like suddenly sprinting 400 meters without warming up—the strain on his cardiovascular system was far greater than he had imagined.

Amidst the pounding of his heart, a somewhat unconventional and dangerous idea... appeared in his mind.

"Thank goodness Shizuka and Doraemon aren't here, otherwise they would have scolded me to death..."

He turned his head and glanced behind him, clearly seeing clusters of flying swords chasing after him. Through his glasses, a hint of madness flashed in his eyes.

It came to an abrupt stop in mid-air, arms outstretched, as if to embrace the biting, cold light face to face.

"?!"

Liu Ran's expression changed. He didn't know why the flying sword had suddenly stopped, suspecting a trap. He quickly made a hand seal, trying to bring the flying sword to a screeching halt as well. However, no matter how fantastical the magical artifact, as long as it has weight, it cannot escape the constraints of inertia, even if it can stop instantly. In slow motion, the cold blade easily pierced Da Xiong's clothes and skin, penetrating deeper into his muscles and bones.

During the forging process, Liu Ran added his own fingertip blood, becoming one with the magical artifact. In that instant, the sword tip connected with his sense of touch. He had slain many opponents with flying swords and knew exactly what it should feel like. There were no tricks, no traps; the flying sword truly pierced through his body.

"Why……"

He was not happy about this; on the contrary, the unexpected situation made him even more nervous.

"Who would stand still and let me stab them?!"

As it turned out, his combat instincts were indeed much sharper than imagined.

……

"【Side Shift Gun】—!"

(Position Shifter Gun: Can switch the actual situation of two people, including physical location, equipment, dialogue, special status, etc. Its function is quite special, and it can effectively change the current state of a person, so it must be used with great caution.)

Within 0.1 seconds of the sword touching the skin—a timeframe exceeding human limits—the gun is drawn and fired. The "conversion" effect is activated before the sword has even partially pierced the body, rendering the user completely immobile. This combo demands exceptional reflexes, dynamic vision, and marksmanship; a slight miscalculation could result in the sword piercing the body and rendering the user unable to move.

With his superb marksmanship and the incredible composure he possesses in dangerous situations, Da Xiong pulled off an amazing comeback!

"laugh!"

A dull thud as flesh was struck.

"..."

Still reeling from the shock and doubt, Liu Ran suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. Looking down, he saw the gleaming blade of a sword. He was stunned. Before he could even understand what was happening, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the spot. The energy and blood he had just stimulated with the ghost ginseng vanished instantly. His body became increasingly hunched, like that of a truly dying old man.

"How...how could this be...cough! Cough cough..."

Bloodstains stained his beard. Liu Ran, kneeling on the ground, used the Seven Star Sword to support himself, his legs trembling as he tried his best to stand up.

“I’ve never heard of this kind of magical artifact before… never… From the moment you started, you’ve been displaying power far exceeding that of your contemporaries…”

"Where on earth are you from?"

Da Xiong didn't answer him. Watching him being pierced by the sword and bleeding profusely, a barely perceptible hesitation flashed in his eyes. Although he had also made up his mind to give this old charlatan who robbed villagers of their lifespan and treated humans as blood oxen the fairest ending, he hesitated at the last moment.

"Heh...it doesn't matter anymore, you're no match for me..."

Liu Ran gritted her teeth, forcing out a deep, cold laugh between them. "You're just a woman's soft-hearted fool, a brat who hasn't been weaned yet!"

"thump!"

The next moment, he squeezed out the last bit of strength from his body, burst into a frenzy, and plunged headfirst into the river, splashing up large sprays of water. A crimson hue spread from the water. Da Xiong rushed to the riverbank, but couldn't find him. His signature dark black Taoist robe seemed to have melted into the water, vanishing without a trace.

"What about people?"

In the mountains and forests, a cold wind blew, and Da Xiong felt a great sense of uncertainty and crisis.

"This isn't good..." He instinctively sensed what was about to happen, pulled out his radio receiver, and shouted, "Shizuka! How's it going on your end? Watch out! He might be coming for you!"

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.

Inside the cavern, the sounds of gunfire continued incessantly. To prevent structural collapse, Meijin refrained from using large-scale firepower, gradually falling behind the rate at which the skeleton soldiers spawned. The plasma fired from the short guns was enough to vaporize a skeleton soldier, but it was only enough to eliminate one at a time. Shizuka and Asul were forced to don air cannons, forming a makeshift circle of three, continuously firing, yet they remained constantly "surrounded."

Now, the only boy they protected has finally recovered from the series of blows and has come to understand the current situation to some extent.

"So...so now you're going to..." Huang Amao swallowed hard, looking at the dark, gaping crevice.

At this moment, with the number of skeleton soldiers temporarily suppressing the attack, the corpses manipulated by the ghost ginseng began to emerge one by one from between the rocks. Their whiskers bristled, emitting an unbearable, grating sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard, summoning even more evil creatures from the ground.

Surrounded by a group of ghost ginseng, the last to appear was the headless corpse parasitized by fungi. Its shape was particularly peculiar, with red and white spotted mushrooms protruding from its head like umbrellas, the very top of which seemed to be breathing, pulsating slightly.

"As long as we take down that mushroom man, everything will be fine, right?"

“That’s what I said, but…”

"boom--!!"

The American understood immediately and fired a shot at it. Instantly, an endless horde of zombies surged up, shielding it from the fire. It was just like ants facing a fire; individuals would voluntarily sacrifice themselves to ensure the queen's survival.

"Those ginseng-like creatures control corpses, and they keep crawling out of the ground. I mean, is your village built on an ancient battlefield?" Shizuka was getting increasingly annoyed by the endlessly respawning dung monsters, and her tone unconsciously became anxious. "Where are we going to find so many corpses to use?"

"These aren't real corpses; they must have been transformed from those ghostly ginsengs," Asur murmured, looking at the menacing parasites in the distance. "However, indeed, as long as we deal with them..."

"Sigh," Huang Amao sighed to himself, "If only the Earth Tiger were here."

Chapter 183: Disgusting to disgusting, vulgar to vulgar

A casual remark opened up a new way of thinking for others.

"What is a ground tiger?!" Asur asked hastily, perhaps startling the boy with his eagerness.

He was just saying it casually, like a newbie in Silver rank accidentally stumbling into a high-ranking game and mentioning it offhand.

Suddenly, the player who was playing the game turned around and asked him what he meant by the "operation" he had just mentioned. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "It's...it's a kind of insect, also called a 'soil worm.' It hides in soil crevices, weeds, or other concealed places during the day, and comes out at night to feed and lay eggs. The old man...no, anyway, he told me before that this insect approaches the tender stems and roots of ginseng and feeds on the pith of the stem; it must be their natural enemy!"

"【Illustrated Encyclopedia of Physical Objects: Insect Edition】—!!"

"Groundhog, groundhog, groundhog... No! Where did this groundhog come from?" Shizuka flipped through the pages quickly, making mistakes in her haste, and couldn't find it anymore. She bit her lip in frustration. "Its scientific name might not be this, it's just the local name... That's right!"

With a bang, Shizuka slammed the book shut. She had found a new way and grabbed the boy's hand, her eyes shining.

Have you ever seen a cutworm?

“I’ve seen it before…” Huang Amao described timidly, “The wings are dark brown, and the body surface is very rough, somewhat like a silkworm.”

"Good, good! [Animal Transformation Drink] --!!"

(It's almost become a staple of Doraemon's birthday episodes that someone's birthday party ends in misfortune, and Shizuka's birthday was no exception. Before her birthday party, Nobita mistakenly gave Shizuka a drink that turned her into an animal, thinking it was a health drink. Unsurprisingly, Shizuka drank a bottle and ended up turning into a clean white cat before her birthday, wandering around the town for quite some time. To this day, she still vividly remembers the gadget that caused this mischief.)

"Drink it!" she said, shoving the drink into his hand without further ado. "Then, try to imagine what a giant tiger looks like. If all goes well, it will become what you imagine!"

"..."