Nobita's Time Heist

The moment Alexander Cross appeared, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Although both Bibo and Lilulu defined it as a "civil engineering robot" at the time, Shandong Cross achieved remarkable results on the battlefield against the Megatopia invaders. Transforming into a turret, it repeatedly plowed the ground with almost unlimited heavy firepower, wiping out wave after wave of enemies.

His firepower even put the Iron Man Corps at a disadvantage, and the enemy commander said something like, "It doesn't matter, we can produce as many robots as needed."

Although this was a human wave tactic employed by the other side, the fact that they were forced to resort to such tactics by a mere civil engineering robot speaks volumes.

If he were truly used for manual labor, it would be impossible to explain the missiles, lasers, and plasma cannons flying everywhere. Nobita is more inclined to believe it's a meme among the Meccatobians. Just like how they sometimes jokingly call Doraemon a "raccoon dog-shaped robot," the truth is known to everyone.

Regardless of whether he was a civil engineering robot or not, he could charge in and out of a battlefield filled with laser beams, so dealing with a creature made entirely of carbon would be a piece of cake for him. Before the opponent could react, Nobita had already controlled Sandie Cross, swinging his right arm. The jet nozzles on his elbow and wrist roared as he accelerated instantly, punching the giant in the face!

The metal that makes up the Titan Cross's body is incredibly light, even floating on water like oil, but that doesn't mean he lacks power. Combined with agility comparable to a human's size, he leaves his opponent completely caught off guard. With a deafening "boom," the iron fist smashes the giant's exposed jaw from below, sending large chunks of flesh with tentacles flying like a gentle rain of blood.

The closest mechs were naturally not spared; fragments clattered onto their exteriors, covering this pristine warrior in a layer of blood.

"Boom--!"

With a powerful roar, several plumes of pink and blue inverted cone-shaped flames shot from the exhaust nozzles on the back of the machine. The seemingly heavy machine, however, moved with the grace of an elegant figure skater, ducking low and sliding sideways, easily tackling the giant to the ground. The eighty-meter-tall bodies crashed into the ground, generating a powerful tremor comparable to an earthquake, sending large chunks of rock flying like raindrops, creating a secondary impact. The nearby city wall was also affected, collapsing in part.

The power of the [Brainwave Manipulation Device] lies in this: it doesn't require the user to actually perform the actions. They only need to think about it in their mind, and the machine will perfectly replicate it. In other words, if two people simultaneously hold this device and each operate a mecha, the one with the more imaginative mind wins. And Nobita…

As everyone knows, his imagination is beyond that of ordinary people. Before his opponent could react, he reached out his right arm and gripped his neck tightly to prevent him from pulling off a clever escape.

The eye armor began to gather energy, and the emerald energy gradually coalesced into points. At the same time, two auxiliary shooting light wheels popped up from the virtual interactive interface and were placed on Nobita's glasses.

Through his vision, he precisely positioned the target of his concentrated fire at the center of these frantically flailing tentacles. The air crackled with the unique sound of ionization, and sensing the danger, the tentacles struggled frantically, striking the surface of the machine again and again with their barbed tentacles in a futile resistance. It began to mimic human behavior, emitting a sharp, piercing cry from the very center of that cluster of tentacles, like the screech of brakes as a person is about to be beheaded.

"boom------!!!"

The beam of light, like a sharp sword, pierced through his head from top to bottom and vaporized his chest in an instant, giving him a free open-heart surgery.

The high-energy laser beam emitted from Alexander Cross's eyes seems to operate on scientific principles completely different from those of the 22nd century, yet its destructive power is equally formidable. Shizuka, unknowingly, pressed the firing button, instantly cleaving a reinforced concrete building in two, turning it into ruins. Fortunately, they were in the mirror world at the time, so no one was injured; even so, it left her with considerable psychological trauma.

Doraemon made a particularly intriguing remark at the time: "I thought it was just an unwanted robot, but I never imagined it would be such a terrifying weapon." In other words, from a 22nd-century perspective, this thing is quite dangerous.

"Beep!" "Beep!"

A notification sounded, and the crosshair on the virtual interface changed from blue to red, marking the detected weak point for Nobita. It was located in the giant's dantian, roughly the same spot where Huang A-Mao had been earlier. Nobita took a deep breath; the real hard work was just beginning.

"laugh--!"

With one hand plunging into the chest, like cracking open a durian, he used both hands to tear the giant's body apart. The sound of blood splattering made him grit his teeth. At that moment, Nobita's only consolation was that this thing didn't have any sensors. Even though he was splattered with blood, he wouldn't feel that nauseating warm sensation; he could only imagine the action.

"Hiss..."

Tentacles sprouted from the severed wound, but before they could solidify into new flesh, they were met with a fierce glare from Alexander Cross. As the laser beam shot out, they literally turned to ash. He was like a surgeon at an operating table, meticulously dissecting the patient's body bit by bit with the utmost precision.

Nobita even adjusted the laser's frequency and amplitude, making it function like a minimally invasive scalpel in this situation, drilling holes in the giant's abdomen to form a triangular notch. When it was almost done, he ripped away the last inch of skin blocking his view, revealing a patch of writhing tentacles. The virtual interface cleverly magnified the image, highlighting the enemy's weakness with a prominent red circle.

"As expected... it was him." After confirming it, Da Xiong felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of sadness.

But there was no time to think about it. Realizing that the vulnerable driver had been exposed, the surrounding tentacles reacted and quickly wrapped around him, trying to hide him back deep inside his body.

“Buzz——!”

High-frequency laser beams shot from Alexander Cross's eyes, but this time, they weren't aimed at penetration. Da Xiong lowered the frequency infinitely, making it almost equivalent to light with a special frequency band. The light fell, suppressing the growth of these strange tentacles. A mournful howl came from deep within the flesh, and they fled like kicked wild dogs, retreating into the depths of the flesh to lie dormant for the time being.

"Open the cockpit!"

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----"

At a command, the mecha of the Titan Cross reacted immediately. The cockpit slowly opened, and the strong convective wind at high altitude immediately rushed into Nobita's neck, causing him to subconsciously squint. At this moment, the mecha firmly pressed the Titan to the ground in a very classic "kneeling kill" posture. The deck extending from the cockpit gave Nobita a foothold, allowing him to safely take out his gadgets.

"[Lightweight Fishing Rod] --!!"

Cast the hook.

Swing!

The fishing line drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed perfectly on Huang Amao's shoulder.

Chapter 234: Let's Go Back to the Beginning

"Da...Xiong..."

"Ah, it's me!" Nobita shouted with all his might, sweat dripping from his forehead, "Don't give up! Grab my fishing line, I'll get you out!"

Huang Amao struggled to lift his head, glanced at him, and suddenly a desperate and terrifying smile curled up at the corners of his already droopy mouth. It's no exaggeration to say that Nobita Nobi, who had experienced so many adventures and witnessed so many grand scenes, was terrified by this smile. He had never felt such intense emotions before—numbness, hatred, pain, despair… as if all the negative emotions in the world had fallen into his eyes, remaining crystal clear even bathed in blood.

Without needing to say more, he could roughly guess what had happened. Although he hadn't thought of it before, when they were together, everyone always carefully avoided mentioning it. It was as if as long as it wasn't brought up, that secluded little village would continue to live peacefully, and the people in the village would continue to live their lives as usual, just like the Peach Blossom Spring in the story.

In retrospect, the situation is likely to be even more dire than the worst predictions we had ever considered.

It was only two days.

Just how tragic would it have to be for a boy who was perfectly normal just two days ago to end up like this?

"Save me..." He looked around, a confused expression on his face. "Why should I save you? I'm perfectly fine... as fine as I can be."

"He turned you into this monster!" At this point, Da Xiong felt his words were utterly powerless, especially when he thought about how he had been deceived by Wang Mang's sincere demeanor, which had given him the "determination" to take that final step. This sense of disorientation grew stronger. He could only suppress his inner turmoil, and as if to convince himself, he shouted, "You're still alive! Your life isn't over yet! Don't give up on yourself like this!"

"Am I...am I still alive?"

In the tranquil high sky, first came confusion, then the boy inexplicably laughed. The movement aggravated the wound at the corner of his mouth, but he seemed oblivious, his chuckle turning into a loud, unrestrained laugh that shook his shoulders. The wound reopened, spurting blood in a gurgling sound that would trigger a physical reaction in anyone who saw it. For a fleeting moment, Da Xiong felt that the person he knew was dead, and what remained there was merely a shell filled with Huang Amao's hatred and rage.

"Da Xiong, you guys aren't from around here, are you?"

“Everyone I’ve known since birth…everyone I’ve been connected with…is dead. I haven’t seen them die with my own eyes, but it’s not hard to imagine how they died.” His voice became mournful and sorrowful, then suddenly he changed the subject, looked up at the capital city not far away, and his eyes blazed with fury like molten lava.

Every word, every sentence, was spoken with gritted teeth, and tears of blood welled up in his eyes.

"They were trampled to death! By those bloodsucking, skinning, and bone-crushing corrupt officials, by those arrogant and powerful military bandits! By that emperor who oppressed everyone and made it hard to breathe! By this cannibalistic and chaotic world!"

Sensing the change in the host's will, the tentacles surged out from the flesh again, defying the effects of the laser, and wrapped around his back, trying to pull him deeper.

No matter how strong the force, a lightweight fishing rod can withstand it.

But... what truly shook him was Nobita's own heart; those words had stirred up deep thoughts within him.

Humans are the sum total of their social relationships—a simple truth that even Nobita understands. He once used the "Long Time No See Suitcase," but because it spun too much, it landed him at an age before he was even born, and naturally, everyone in town forgot about him.

When all of a person's familiar social relationships are severed, it can be defined as death in a social sense.

Moreover, in such a chaotic world, even the fulfillment of basic human needs is questionable. In such times, a helpless commoner is even less desirable than a servant in a powerful family. At least the latter offers a relatively stable environment to withstand the impact of the changing times. Living alone in a chaotic world, however, could easily lead to unforeseen consequences, a true hell within hell.

Even if I manage to save him in the end, what then? Should I let him continue to struggle in this kind of world?

Does he really need to save himself?

"When everything disappears, I become indifferent. Now, there's only one thing on my mind..."

"I want them to taste what it's like to be trampled to death."

"I'll let everyone know what it feels like to be trampled to death by me—!!!"

……

He stiffened his neck and let out a roar like a trapped beast. Tentacles surged from behind him like waves, enveloping his body. With a boom, steam erupted from the giant's body, and intact flesh instantly clung to it, visibly reconstructing the damaged parts. Once the head was repaired, it seemed to sense that Nobita was no longer protected by the mecha, and the tentacles on its face opened all at once, letting out a sharp roar, transforming into thousands of branching swords that surged towards him.

……

"Ugh……"

Looking down, the earth was shattered and broken, a scene of chaos and devastation as far as the eye could see. A profound despair gripped him, and though reluctantly, Nobita had to admit that this adventure seemed destined to end in failure. Nostradamus, exploiting his kindness, had ultimately sealed his fate.

There's no other way.

"when----!!!"

The brainwave manipulation device instantly activated Shandong Cross's machine. His right hand outstretched, blocking the incoming tentacles. In less than a second, Nobita pulled a six-sided die from his pocket. It looked ordinary, like the dice used in karaoke games, only larger.

This seemingly ordinary thing caused Asur to lose her composure and scream, startling Shizuka beside her. Unfortunately, they were too far away from Nobita, and their voices didn't carry.

"【Back to the starting point】—!!"

Looking at the shattered Huang Amao, Da Xiong gritted his teeth, threw the dice onto the deck, and muttered, "Let's start all over again!"

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.

【Back to the Beginning】is arguably one of the most obscure gadgets in Doraemon's arsenal, almost a pinnacle of time-related gadgets, a level above the 【Time Machine】 and the 【Time Belt】. The latter simply allows the user to travel to a specific time and place, like Nobita in his current situation, who is originally from the 21st century but has arrived in the year 9 AD – that's how the Time Machine works.

This unassuming die can truly erase "mistakes" and turn back time.

In his daily life, Doraemon only used this thing twice.

One instance was when Nobita argued endlessly over ten cups of instant noodles and a toy model, creating multiple versions of himself across different timelines. Ultimately, the chaos became so overwhelming that he had no choice but to use this ultimate weapon to wipe everything clean. (From the original manga, "Stop My Nobita")

Another time, Gian regretted his outburst at his birthday party and came to Doraemon late at night, hoping to start over so everyone could have a happy birthday celebration. (From the original manga, "The Terrifying Birthday of Gian")

After Doraemon left, the die lay quietly in his pocket, never used. Having messed things up enough times during his childhood, Nobita was always very sensitive to time-related gadgets—he caused so much trouble when Doraemon was around, and now that he's not here, what if he really messes things up, there's nowhere to fix it!

Chapter 235: You've done something unforgivable

"Clap!"

The dice landed softly, and the surrounding scenery instantly blurred, like a panel depicting speed in a comic book, turning into black and white lines. Nobita nervously wiped the sweat from his brow. This was actually his first time using this gadget, and he had a strange feeling that he had done something incredible. Fortunately, the changes around him were as he remembered. Time rewound, and the location was naturally different now. He heard indistinct voices coming from outside, as if someone was talking to him.

The highest possible number on the die is 6, which is far from enough!

Thinking this, Nobita kept throwing the ball again and again, the surrounding voices sometimes near, sometimes far, buzzing into his ears.

He wanted to turn back time to before he met Wang Mang, to rid himself of all his interference in the future emperor's life, including that "Determination Needle" that could change history. After throwing it about twenty times, Da Xiong felt he had done enough, so he stopped. The blurry scene before him gradually became clear, lines began to form an image, and the image pieced together a scene. A somewhat mournful voice entered his ears.

……

"No...no..." the girl stammered, making a futile attempt at explanation, "It was a horse...a person riding a horse, who bumped into me..."

"Shut up! This piece of Songshan ink is worth more than ten of your worthless lives! Even if you were trampled to death by a horse, let alone being hit by it, you shouldn't have let go!" the man shouted angrily. "Now that the precious ink is broken, can you afford to suffer the consequences when the master blames you?"

……

The god of time played a not-so-small joke on him, sending him back to the very street where he first entered Chang'an.

It was here that he couldn't resist the call of morality and rescued the poor slave girl, thus meeting Wang Mang and triggering a series of subsequent events. At this moment, time reverses, and Da Xiong suddenly realizes that the problem is not solved—he still has to face the same situation, the moral dilemma, or the rational choice.

A gleaming knife hung over the girl's head, and the world seemed to stand still, urging Nobita to act.

how is it?

save? Still not saving?

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.

"【Soul Infusion Gun】————"

(Soul Injection Gun: Resembling a toy gun, the scope is a flexible nozzle. After aiming, taking a breath forces half of one's soul into the opponent's body, gaining control of that body. However, since it only involves half a soul, it's equivalent to multitasking, requiring simultaneous operation of two bodies, making it quite difficult to master. From the original manga "Soul Injection Gun")

Having learned his lesson from last time, Nobita took out a completely different gun and blew a strong breath at the tall man!

It had been so long since he'd used this gadget that Nobita couldn't adjust to the sudden change in perspective. He felt like he'd been caught off guard and broke out in a cold sweat.

Looking at his suddenly elevated perspective and the pitiful girl on the verge of death before him, he suddenly shuddered. He quickly put the whip aside, patted his pockets, and stuffed all the money he could find into her. He turned around and, in full view of everyone, took off running and fled in panic, running all the way out of the city.

He ran aimlessly until his legs were so tired they were weak and sweat was pouring down his face. He couldn't recover for a while, so he took a breath through the hose and pulled half of his soul back.

Seeing that the matter had suddenly ended and there was no more excitement to watch, the crowd on the street slowly dispersed to go about their own business. After the commotion subsided, the unfortunate slave girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before picking up the coins scattered on the ground, which amounted to a rather rare "severance pay" for this era. She touched the scalp where she had just been dragged and limped into the alley.

"..." Looking at her back, Da Xiong felt a little complicated. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether his behavior was right or wrong.

The teacher once said that when their sense of right and wrong is no longer as clear as before, and when they no longer fixate on who is the good guy and who is the bad guy when watching TV dramas, it means they are starting to grow up.

Is this ambiguous feeling really what growing up is all about?

Before he could figure it out, he felt a sharp tug on his shoulder. Asur stood on tiptoe, grabbed his clothes, and pulled Da Xiong towards her. The girl's expression was frighteningly serious, her eyes wide open, her face full of accusation.

"How could you... Why did you do such a thing?!"

"Um, Asur-chan, is it really that serious?" Shizuka was startled by her suddenly high-pitched tone and quickly tried to smooth things over, "This method is indeed a bit strange, but Nobita only meant well..."

"That's not what I meant!" Before she could finish speaking, Asur interrupted her sharply, staring straight at Nobita, and emphasized, "Nobita, what you just did is an absolute taboo in some civilizations that have come into contact with the law of causality. It's something that should never be touched under any circumstances! It's even more terrifying than what the Apairon Foundation did."

Shizuka was completely confused, but she could tell from the girl's expression that the matter was serious, so she said no more.

"You are the [Anchor of Time and Space], and what you choose is the course of history itself—I think someone has told you this before, right?"

Nobita looked completely bewildered, his brows furrowed as he searched through the maze of memories, but he couldn't recall ever having such a cool title. How could an ordinary second-year high school student suddenly have to shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

“Ah, yes, we did!” Shizuka suddenly remembered and reminded him, “When we sent Nobita and Miu back to the Cretaceous period, didn’t those time police say that they were ‘people who changed history’… something like that? We can’t stop Nobita’s actions, otherwise it will cause even greater chaos.”

"Since the time machine was invented in 2008 (this was Fujiko F. Fujio's original design; in his conception, this magical machine was born in 2008), research on the structure of spacetime has never stopped. The Spacetime Management Institute in the 22nd century has found such a special variable in the vast theoretical research... Different countries' textbooks have different names for it."

"In short, after repeated experiments, scientists have discovered that when the spacetime structure itself is unstable and the connection between the past and the future is frequently altered, the anthropic law will take effect. Simply put, spacetime itself will produce the same force to restore everything to normal."

"The individuals chosen by this force are the [Space-Time Anchors]."

"Eh..." Nobita was a little surprised, scratched his head, still finding it hard to accept, and said with a wry smile, "Such amazing power, but you're entrusting it to someone as unreliable as me, is that really okay?"