Nobita's Time Heist

Gentle breezes, ocean waves, warm sunshine, azure skies, a spacious beach perfect for frolicking, and a few coconut trees laden with fruit. Even those filtered Hawaiian tourism promotional videos couldn't compare.

More importantly, the altitude here is much higher than at ground level. On this beach, the boundary between the sky and the sea becomes blurred, almost merging into one. The sunlight streaming down from above seems to melt into the boundary between the two, rippling with shimmering light. Escaping the hustle and bustle of the city, appreciating such beauty in an absolutely quiet environment truly evokes a sense of indescribable longing in everyone's heart.

"Alright, training officially begins!" Da Xiong put on his sunglasses and lay down on a bench placed on the beach. Naturally, a construction robot flew over from the sky and brought him a cup of mashed potatoes with a small yellow umbrella and iced coconut juice. "Today's training content is to rest in this area until the sun goes down."

……

"Huh??!" Without even thinking, Asuka would be the first to jump up at this kind of training. She stormed over and almost dragged Nobita off the bench. "What is this? Don't be ridiculous! We're here to learn how to fight the Angels! Do you think we can just lie on the beach with our legs crossed and expect them to retreat on their own next time they invade?!"

"Well, even if you say all that..." Nobita didn't get angry as she kept shaking his neck, and he still had a leisurely smile on his face. "I haven't slept for days and nights to build this city. I was so tired that I didn't plan anything for the first day."

"Asuka alone can't possibly get back to the surface, can she?"

"You..." Asuka realized she'd been put in a completely awkward position, feeling utterly cheated. After much deliberation, she bit her lip, swallowed her anger, turned away, and gave a heavy "humph," "You idiot, Nobita!"

"If... it's just about lying down and resting..."

Shinji's tone held a hint of eagerness. His mother's early death, coupled with his father's current situation, destined his daily life to be dull and monotonous, making a trip to the beach virtually impossible; he could only keep that beautiful fantasy sealed away. But now, the beach of his memory appeared before him, far more captivating than he had imagined. The azure of the sea mingled with the sky, almost melting away the gloom in his heart. A warm breeze blew from the boundless sky, ruffling his bangs, making it difficult for him to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

"You don't necessarily have to lie down. You can go swimming a few laps if you want. There will be self-constructing robots watching over you, so don't worry about safety. The robots here can read your brainwaves and sense your general thoughts. You just need to make a gesture to them."

Nobita yawned; he was genuinely sleepy. He lay down on the bench, fiddling with his hair to avoid getting it caught in the gap. "Ms. Katsuragi, please feel free to make yourselves at home... You can change into your swimsuits at the hotel. We have everything you need for beach activities here, so please use whatever you like."

"I can't take it anymore, I need to sleep... for a bit..."

……

"He's asleep." Rei Ayanami professionally checked Nobita's breathing with her hand and confirmed, "It took 0.93 seconds to enter a deep sleep."

"Wow, that's fast!" Asuka exclaimed. "Seriously, less than a second? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? This is probably the limit of human physiology!"

"Could this be one of the reasons Nobita is so powerful? His incredibly fast sleep onset allows him to relieve the intense strain of thinking..." Shinji's gaze was already drawn to the beach and the sea. He suddenly realized that this was a sanctuary beyond his father's control. No matter what he said or did, he didn't have to worry about receiving strange looks from him.

"I really don't understand what that guy was thinking. It's supposed to be training for combat personnel, but he brought us all to the beach. Then he went to sleep." Asuka couldn't help but mutter. "If building a city is already tiring enough, don't add these useless facilities. Just keep the armory, training grounds, and simulation environment. Why make things so tiring for yourself? If it were Commander Ikari, he would never build these places."

"You agree, right, you top student?"

"..." Rei Ayanami didn't say anything, she just stared blankly at Nobita who was fast asleep, not knowing what she was thinking.

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.

"Yes, absolutely not."

Misato Katsuragi, who had been observing from the sidelines, said something that subtly contradicted her stance: "In that man's view, weapons only need maintenance and sharpening; they don't need rest."

"Perhaps Nobita just sees you as 'people'... nothing more."

Chapter 369: Continue the music, continue the dance

"..."

Several hours later, Nobita rubbed his eyes and woke up from a deep sleep. His story with Asuka wasn't entirely an excuse. Counting on his fingers, he realized that he hadn't had a proper rest for almost five or six days since the decapitation operation in the demon realm began.

Although there's a "medicine that prevents fatigue even without sleep" (Doraemon gave it to Nobita when neither of them could sleep on the eve of his departure), given Nobita's personality, he absolutely refuses to take it unless it's the end of the world or a last resort. After being transported to another world, he immediately has to fight EVA, build this city in the clouds, and also spend time and energy scheming against Gendo Ikari... A series of events follow one after another, forming an impenetrable combination punch. Even with his rich experience in saving the world, he's left breathless from the onslaught.

This was the first time since he came into this world that he had been able to sleep peacefully in an environment he could absolutely trust, and thus he slept exceptionally soundly. Young people are indeed healthy; after a good night's sleep, Da Xiong stretched and felt completely refreshed. The waves continued to lap against the beach at their characteristic rhythm, making him feel utterly at ease.

This life of doing nothing and thinking nothing seemed to transport him back to the sweltering summer of ten years ago—a long summer vacation where anything he didn't want to do could be postponed, cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window, and he and Doraemon each had a comic book, lying carefree in the room, engrossed in their reading. When his eyes grew tired, he would use the comic book as an eye mask, covering his head and drifting off to sleep. When he woke up, his mother had already prepared a sumptuous meal, and for the entire day, he hadn't had a single thing to worry about.

Such a wonderful life actually existed.

A girl's silvery laughter came from not far away. Looking in the direction of the sound, Asuka, who had been the most vehement opponent before, was now dressed in a figure-hugging summer swimsuit. She had her long ponytail tied into a round bun, and was standing sideways on a surfboard. Her seemingly slender figure was surprisingly powerful, and she moved freely on the crest of the huge waves, completely controlling the direction of the waves and having a great time.

Further afield, even Misato Katsuragi, who was supposed to be on the watchful eye, joined in the fun, albeit with paragliding. A jet ski sped across the sea, a paraglider strapped to her, sending her soaring into the sky like a kite. After the Second Impact, cultural trends worldwide were severely restricted, and tourism was seen as a waste of resources and a distraction from work. Given the nature of Misato's position, it was virtually impossible for her to have any opportunities to indulge in leisure as carefree as she was now.

Shinji, barefoot, lay on a bench. His toes were clearly covered in sand, suggesting he'd been running on the beach and was now comfortably relaxing. The cassette tape he always carried at his waist came in handy; with wired headphones plugged in, he immersed himself in his own musical world.

His slightly upturned lips and relaxed eyebrows were enough to show that he was in a rare state of relaxation.

Seeing how much fun they were having, Da Xiong first smiled with satisfaction, but then his eyes dimmed, revealing a hint of pity.

This world is too oppressive.

Living underground, NERV harbors countless secrets that cannot be exposed to the light of day, its atmosphere permeated with the coldness and stench of the earth.

"Are you awake?" Rei Ayanami's crisp voice came from the side. She was still wearing the same clothes she had at the beginning, lying on the bench next to Nobita, not a grain of sand on her feet, except that she had taken off her shoes. She was holding a thick book in her hands, with such strong professional knowledge that Nobita felt a little dizzy just from seeing the title.

"You really slept for a long time."

"Does Ayanami also think training is important?" Nobita wiped the fog off his glasses and asked with a smile. "You're probably not that type."

“I personally don’t care.” She turned her head expressionlessly as usual. “However, while we are living a leisurely life, there may be an Angel invasion below. Although Unit 3 is basically completed, the suitable candidate has not yet been determined. Conventional weapons alone cannot cause enough damage to the Angels.”

"Relax, relax." Knowing that she was only worried about the city's safety, Nobita waved his hand, yawned, and said casually, "Nothing will happen. The flow of time here is completely different from down below. It's like the reversed version of the Taro Kabashima story. Staying here for a day is equivalent to half an hour in the down world. We'll have plenty of time to train later."

His casual remark caused Rei Ayanami to turn around abruptly, her eyes widening as she stared at him with disbelief.

"What...did you just say?!"

……

"The flow of time is different from what's happening down here?!" the crowd exclaimed in unison.

"Heh heh, that's right, I used this gadget." Nobita proudly pulled an ordinary red pocket watch from his pocket and showed it to everyone. His habit of showing off gadgets was exactly the same as when he was a child. "Ding ding ding ding~~! [Chaotic Clock]—!"

(The Chaotic Clock: One of Doraemon's signature time-related gadgets, it can control the speed of time, and can also completely freeze time, with a maximum impact range reaching an entire planet. The Green Planet once launched a "surface terraforming attack" against Earth, attempting to cover the entire planet's surface with "Green Soil" to completely transform it into a more suitable environment for plant life. However, due to a series of unforeseen events, it was stopped by the falling Chaotic Clock. Because time stopped, all objects on Earth's surface were frozen in that moment, unable to be destroyed or affected. This phenomenon was interpreted by the Green Planet people as triggering some kind of "time defense system" on Earth.)

When building this aerial fortress, Nobita considered the problem Rei Ayanami mentioned, and therefore intentionally incorporated the chaotic clock as part of the architectural system, integrating it into Yggdrasil's operational system. Now, it can adjust the city's time flow according to actual needs.

Simply put, this is a giant mental time machine.

“I understand.” Rei Ayanami pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke, “Back then, your mecha suddenly disappeared and then suddenly reappeared, that was because of this, right? Before I deployed the AT field, you froze time, and then walked over normally, letting time start to flow again. The human body cannot feel the stillness and flow of time at all, so to us it was as if it suddenly appeared.”

"Uh... of course, that method works too, but I didn't do it that way. I used other methods, and after the training is complete, each of you will be able to do it." Da Xiong smiled and shook his head, casually glancing at the sunset on the horizon, and stretched. "Alright, it's getting late. As your temporary instructor, I hereby declare the first day's mission a complete success."

Time to prepare dinner!

……

He still walked slowly away from the beach, heading towards the Burj Al Arab hotel. However, this time, his silhouette appeared more enigmatic and mysterious to others. Even Asuka, who was always quite proud, no longer looked down on him as she had initially.

time.

Despite NERV's advanced biotechnology, it has been unable to solve this problem.

Rather, it's this unassuming young man...

He holds the power of "God" in his hands.

Chapter 370: What a Big Thing You Did at Home!

Juicy steak, fragrant lamb leg, and the delicious Mapo Tofu, with its perfect color, aroma, and taste, seem to have just been served from the set of "Master Chef," every drop of sauce exuding an irresistible fragrance.

After a fun-filled afternoon, everyone was indeed feeling hungry. Except for Rei Ayanami, the other three basically disregarded dining etiquette, grabbing knives and forks and eating with unrestrained abandon. Nobita himself also blended in perfectly. In the huge foyer, only their table was occupied, and service robots kept bringing out various dishes, making them feel like they were "tired of eating."

"I don't seem to see any animals here. Where do all these ingredients come from?" Asuka was enjoying a steamed Huaiwang fish. Although she still had Japanese blood, she was used to using chopsticks because she was often away from home. She could only use a knife and fork to keep fiddling with the fish. She asked curiously, "Could it be that there are actually fish in that sea we just saw?"

“There’s a dedicated food processing plant, look, it’s in the northwest corner of the city.” Da Xiong pointed to a direction outside the restaurant. “This is an inspiration I got from Animal Planet. They place great importance on ecological protection there. Water and food are synthesized in factories, which guarantees absolute cleanliness.”

"Produced?" Shinji's tone was incredulous. He forked a portion of the steak and squeezed it slightly, squeezing out sauce and a little bit of undercooked blood. This made it hard for him to believe that these were mass-produced products from a factory assembly line. "Are these all...?"

"I don't really understand the specifics... Let me put it this way, there are actually many tiny floating creatures in places we can't see with the naked eye. The factory will capture them first, and use them as raw materials to process them into edible ingredients, and then use some cooking methods to turn them into dishes on the table."

This process was actually quite similar to the underwater barbecue Nobita and his friends ate during their grand adventure in the underwater Demon Rock Castle. At the time, the friends were also very suspicious and couldn't understand it, because what they were eating was a real barbecue feast. Doraemon, however, said it was made from some kind of seaweed and plankton, which they couldn't connect with the idea at all. Gian, on the other hand, was the most easygoing, saying, "Who cares what it's made of, as long as it tastes good!"

"I see, that's great." Shinji visibly relaxed. "Such a nice meal would cost at least 100,000 yen to prepare if we ate it on the ground. If it's free, we don't have to worry about those things."

"You're actually thinking about how much this meal will cost? Seriously, Shinji, can't you be a little more sensible?" Asuka said with a speechless expression. "To think I'd have to become colleagues with such a meddlesome man... Ugh! My future career is going to be bleak!"

"Because I've never eaten anything this good before..." Shinji felt increasingly guilty as he spoke, so he turned to Ayanami and asked in a pleading tone, "Is it the same for you, Ayanami-san?"

What he really wanted to ask was whether, as your "adoptive father," Gendo Ikari had ever taken you to such a luxurious meal. But the moment the question left his mouth, he regretted it—if the answer was "no," he would naturally breathe a sigh of relief, at least proving that he treated you and him, his own son, no differently. But what if the answer was "yes"? Wouldn't his newly improved mood be plunged back into gloom?

Fortunately, Rei Ayanami only glanced at him without saying a word and continued eating. Her eating manners were very elegant, unlike Nobita who ate heartily and without restraint. Instead, she ate with gusto, picking up her bowl and taking small bites, like a young lady from a wealthy family.

She picked up a napkin, elegantly wiped her mouth, and commented, "The degree of realism of the ingredients is enough to fool human taste buds, and that's enough."

"..."

Misato stared at the chilled Ebisu beer in her glass. The taste, aroma, even the cheap bread scent floating on the foam—it was all perfectly replicated. In her daily life, she was quite the alcoholic, having tasted so many different kinds of beer that she could identify the brand just by licking it. But if you didn't tell her about the food factory, she wouldn't be able to taste anything unusual.

The supply of necessities such as food and drink determined how long the fortress could hold out when war broke out.

Nobita once said that in the worst-case scenario, the Fourth New Tokyo could become a sanctuary for all mankind, and this statement does not seem to be a whimsical remark.

With its high walls, deep fortifications, and abundant food supplies, it shares a similarly inaccessible geographical location with Third New Tokyo. Holding out for decades should be no problem.

Thinking of this, she secretly worried about Gendo Ikari again. Although she and her boss were always at odds—the kind of relationship where they wouldn't even greet each other in the same elevator—there were still many people in the NERV organization she cared about. Now, she only hoped that this great ship wouldn't sail towards self-destruction under the leadership of this mad captain.

Fourth New Tokyo, Third New Tokyo.

Above and below.

Once war truly breaks out, NERV base will be met with overwhelming firepower, leaving them utterly defenseless. They can manipulate time at will; controlling you would be as easy as controlling a toy.

"Well, there's no use me worrying about this kind of thing... Whether it's cooperation or betrayal, it all depends on Commander Ikari alone." Misato was quite philosophical about it and quickly comforted herself, drinking the beer in her glass and glancing at the few children chatting nearby.

As the eldest among them, Misato seemed to have temporarily forgotten her position, and with a touch of tenderness in her eyes, fueled by a slight buzz.

"Given his personality, he's probably busy plotting something right now."

"I just hope... things don't get to the worst possible outcome."

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 the dimly lit room, the bright red 001 on the stone tablet flashed, extremely glaring.

Gendo Ikari held a bowl of instant ramen in his hands, eating it slowly and leisurely, a stark contrast to his eldest son who was thousands of miles away.

They installed several surveillance cameras on Misato Katsuragi, and without exception, they all lost signal after she stepped over the pink wooden door.

MAGI scrutinized the limited data but couldn't pinpoint their location, completely disrupting their original plan. Gendo Ikari had no choice but to personally oversee the frontline operations. After finally completing the coordination, he was just about to grab lunch when an urgent communication from SEELE arrived. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to go in with his lunch in hand to respond. It wasn't time to completely break ties with SEELE yet; he needed to find a way to appeal to their emotions and reassure them of his loyalty.

Having witnessed such a major incident, he was mentally prepared to be held accountable. However, to his surprise, the "Human Instrumentality Committee," which had always lurked in the shadows, did not present its full members. All that was there was this black stone monument, representing the pinnacle of human society's power and possessing veto power over the project.

Speaker Kiel.

In a sense, this is also the person Gendo Ikari least wants to face alone.

"Speaker, it's been a long time. I haven't been able to greet you in a while."

"Ha, ha, ha, Commander-in-Chief Ikari, you and your son..."

The speaker's voice echoed with a strange mechanical quality, cold and oppressive, "You've accomplished quite a lot at home."

Chapter 371: Superpower Training Box

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Don't understand? That's fine too." A mocking voice came from the stone tablet of 01. "Then just stay confused. You've been confused for so long already, what's a little more?"

……

Gendo Ikari remained unmoved. He knew that it was precisely in times like these that one had to remain calm, and even one's heart rate and breathing could not change.

To use an imperfect analogy, Gendo Ikari is merely the chairman of the vast corporation NERV, while the Human Instrumentality Committee, always lurking in the shadows, is the true shareholder, investing manpower and resources. Although he, as chairman, has always been somewhat clueless and secretly harbors his own agenda, the committee, due to various practical considerations, has to some extent tacitly approved his extravagance of funds and resources—in the eyes of the highest authority in human society, these are insignificant; what matters most is getting truly important things implemented.

Conversely, if they truly believed they had something wrong with themselves, this conversation would never have happened. NERV is, after all, an intelligence agency; they could easily disappear without a trace and announce Fuyutsuki's inauguration as Commander-in-Chief the next morning. The fact that such a massive upheaval has occurred in Tokyo-3, yet the Human Instrumentality Committee hasn't mobilized its entire staff, only having Chairman Kir, at the pinnacle of power, speak with them alone, at least proves that he still sees them as useful.

Thinking about it this way, even if he only managed to save his life temporarily, he felt somewhat at ease.

"If you're asking about the extraterrestrial visitor, I'm very sorry, but at this stage, we have far too little intelligence. Even if we use all of MAGI, it's not enough to analyze anything—who he is, where he came from, what his purpose is against us… everything is unknown." Gendo Ikari calmly explained, "After careful consideration, I believe we should wait until we intercept more intelligence and draw certain conclusions before reporting to the committee."

The stone tablet stood silently, without uttering a word. In the deep shadows of power, Gendo Ikari seemed to see a gaze fixed upon him.

"Of course, we are also actively preparing measures to minimize the impact of this extraterrestrial visitor. He seems to have ulterior motives towards the three qualified individuals we selected, and his attitude toward winning them over is very firm. Due to the gap in technological level, we have to make concessions in this regard."

"According to the agreement, guardianship of the three eligible individuals will be transferred to him for a certain period of time. In exchange, this extraterrestrial visitor will assume the responsibility of helping us fight the apostles and repair the city—this is the general agreement we reached after negotiations."

A voice suddenly came from the stone tablet, asking a completely unrelated question.

"Ikari, have you ever thought about why we need to complete humanity?"

This question itself was considered one of SEELE's top secrets. Gendo Ikari knew the intricacies of it all, and as the actual "executor," any answer he gave would be wrong.

The best response is to remain silent.

"The human species is made of fragile matter, and both the body and mind are very vulnerable to harm. The minds of each other are not transparent, and even blood relatives are ultimately just two 'strangers' who cannot understand each other. All the wars, devastation, and evil that have broken out in this world so far have their roots here."

"The desire to cleanse all humanity of its sins, to enable everyone to advance to a higher level of evolution, to free themselves from the burdens of the physical body, and to overcome the barriers of the mind, is a carefully crafted ending based on the prophecies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is a gift we give to all humanity."

Despite lacking facial features, that cold, oppressive gaze of a superior still fell upon Gendo Ikari's shoulder. However, given his personality, this kind of treatment was commonplace, nothing to worry about.

“Ikari, we absolutely cannot allow any trivial personal feelings to get mixed into such a great cause.”

"SEELE's attitude toward any entity that may threaten the plan is very clear—no matter how much manpower or resources you use, we will resolutely eliminate it!"

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.