Nobita's Time Heist

Miss Beth clasped her hands together, as if in prayer, or perhaps as an unconscious gesture made after being overwhelmed with excitement.

Amidst the mingling sunlight and snow dust, the boy riding atop a giant dragon fights for the happiness of all—this scene will be etched into her emerald eyes, becoming an unforgettable treasure.

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 dragon swept over the mountain and plunged into Lake Isabella.

On the second uphill climb in the off-road vehicle, Asur leaned almost half his body out of the window to get a full view of everything.

"I think I guessed it. He wants the dragon to fall into Lake Isabella, right?" The tactic wasn't too complicated, and after a moment's thought, Arthur guessed Nobita's idea. "Indeed, the lake is deep enough to swallow the dragon whole. Its flames won't be as terrifying in the water, but..."

"Will it be that easy?"

The tone was very tactful, but the core problem with this approach was so obvious.

Despite their speed, Arabian horses are incredibly timid. When encountering even a slightly steep slope, they'll brake suddenly without Arthur needing to pull the reins. Living things have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm; sensing danger in the environment, they'll certainly avoid it. Moreover, this was intentional—it's like riding a horse towards a cliff edge. Horses aren't stupid; in such a situation, they'll fight desperately and throw you off halfway.

The dragon's speed was no joke; in the blink of an eye, it had already flown over Lake Isabella. It seemed to have sensed Nobita's intentions, so it was very vigilant, increasing its altitude and staying as far away from the lake as possible, showing no intention of diving down.

In just a few rounds of combat, the roles of hunter and prey changed several times, giving Asul and Arthur, who were watching the whole battle, a thrilling feeling.

The outcome is about to be revealed.

"We've cornered it, just a little bit more... just one more game-changer, enough to seal the victory!"

Asur stared intently at the dragon and man in mid-air, muttering, "What do you plan to do? You've almost exhausted your taming tools. How do you intend to make it willingly walk into your trap?"

The next moment, Nobita, living up to his reputation as a prop genius, delivered a perfect answer.

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.

"【Weight Light】——!!" (A tool that allows you to arbitrarily change the weight of an object. It has two knobs on the handle, one for adding and one for subtracting. Turning the knobs turns on the light, which can increase or decrease the weight of an object accordingly. It poses a certain danger to people; it may cause the illuminated object to become too light and rise into the air, or too heavy and embed itself in the ground, leading to suffocation. Use with caution.)

Without hesitation, he turned the plus sign knob to its limit and shone it on the giant dragon beneath him, making its weight fifteen times its original size.

Even the strongest man can't fly by his own hair.

Similarly, even a giant dragon is helpless against its sudden increase in weight. Its wings suddenly stiffened, and its entire body plummeted in a straight line, crashing through the ice of Lake Isabella with a deafening roar before everyone's eyes.

Gravity gave it no chance to struggle. This fearsome creature, which looked down on all beasts, was nothing more than an insignificant little thing in its presence. Once captured by the laws of physics, all was lost. It struggled desperately, but found that the power generated by its internal muscles could not control its huge and hard body at all. As if it had been frozen in place, it remained in the position of crashing through the ice and sank rapidly.

"hiss……"

Due to the pressure of its own weight, the structure of its oral cavity changed, making it impossible to even unleash its dragon breath.

The giant dragon that was soaring in the sky just moments before sank to the bottom of the lake, where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, in the blink of an eye.

"Boom——"

The dust has settled.

The dragon was pressed down by gravity to the bottom of the lake, where the sunlight could not reach, surrounded by icy water on all sides.

This icy lake, perched atop a snow-capped mountain, will become its eternal prison.

Chapter 71: Who would have thought that such a unique skill would actually come in handy?

"You've finally quieted down a bit..."

Nobita effortlessly unbuttoned his clothes and slowly pulled them off, cuff by cuff. Long before the battle even began, he had already used "adaptive lighting" on the off-road vehicle, which was why he dared to plunge headlong into the lake.

It's hard to say he perfectly anticipated the current situation; it's more likely that years of adventure have given him considerable experience in this area. Just like players who frequently compete in world championships have so-called "major tournament experience," once on stage, the order of actions becomes crystal clear.

In both the Platinum Maze and Key City adventures, before connecting to Doraemon's spare pocket, Nobita considered the possibility that Doraemon might be in an environment unsuitable for humans, and thus shone an adaptation lamp on himself beforehand. He was right; on those two occasions, Doraemon was underwater once and in space once…

Some buffs may not be useful in actual combat, but adding them beforehand is always beneficial.

……

He slowly took off the jacket with the NS badge on it, looked at the giant dragon that had fallen to the bottom of the lake and was unable to move due to its own weight, and fell into thought for a moment.

If we follow the logic of a typical story, the hero seals the dragon in the icy lake of the snow-capped mountain, and the story basically ends there. Instead, I'll ask Miss Beth to permanently seal off Lake Isabella and the snow-capped mountain, designating them as a military restricted area.

With her influence in the area, she could easily have done that.

As for whether, hundreds of years later, another mischievous teenager will cross the long-rusted guardrail to explore the ice of Lake Isabella and "coincidentally" discover this secret, that's another story.

The man and the dragon stared at each other in the nearly 100-meter-deep lake, the only movable part of the dragon's body. The dragon's powerful physique prevented it from being crushed by its own weight, but it also rendered it completely immobile. Unless a drastic geological event occurred thousands of years later, draining the lake of water, it would be condemned to a life forever hidden from the light of day.

At the tranquil bottom of the lake, Da Xiong stared into the crimson dragon's eyes, trying to find something familiar. But apart from primal ferocity and rage, nothing human was expressed. If its own weight hadn't been pressing down on its neck, it would surely have stretched out its neck and taken a vicious bite.

Dutch van der Linde's consciousness seemed to have been completely stripped away, leaving only his extremely aggressive attacking instincts.

After a long silence, he sighed underwater.

"Well, what can I say? I just like to meddle in other people's business..."

He took out the [Sleep-Absorbing Gun] and the [Dream Ladder] from his pocket in turn. Although the former was called a "gun," it was not a weapon at all. In terms of appearance, it was more like a toy gun that could blow soap bubbles. Its effect was to extract the abstract concept of "sleepiness" in the form of physical bubbles, use it as ammunition, and then fire it.

While Nobita might not be able to produce anything else right now, he's never short of sleepiness. In a sense, this gun could be considered Nobita's personal weapon. He first pointed the gun at his head, briefly demonstrating his miraculous ability to fall asleep in 0.93 seconds, and his eyes began to glaze over.

This is something Doraemon just can't understand. If he were allowed to sleep freely for 24 hours a day, he could stay on the tatami mat all day without getting up.

Children his age seem to have inexhaustible energy, playing endlessly outside. So why is he constantly dozing off? He falls asleep in class, while doing homework, and even while being punished in the hallway. Logically, with his ability to fall into a deep sleep the moment he closes his eyes, he should have plenty of energy, but he's the complete opposite. He's even achieved the miraculous feat of falling asleep in 0.93 seconds.

Fortunately, there is no such thing as garbage in the world, only resources in the wrong place.

At the bottom of the secluded lake, where no sound could penetrate, it was the perfect place to sleep that he had always dreamed of. He almost fell asleep right there.

A few seconds later, the device beeped, indicating that the drowsiness had been fully drained. The person who developed this device probably never imagined that someone in the world could fully charge it in just a few seconds.

This scene suddenly reminded Nobita of the absurd world created by the magic telephone booth. He chuckled and repeated the words of the "sleep master" from his memory: "You know what? Sleeping can bring world peace... If everyone loved to sleep, there would be no more wars."

“I’m betting one last time on you, Dutch van der Linde, since you don’t want to talk…”

"Talk to me in my dreams."

Pulling the trigger, a series of bubbles shot out from the muzzle, hitting the dragon's surface and bursting with a bang.

The dragon was momentarily stunned, then an overwhelming drowsiness swept over it, completely engulfing it. Its pupils, which had always been imposing like red lanterns, dimmed at that moment, and its heavy eyelids closed.

As if he had expected this, Nobita shook his hair, found a relatively flat rock, sat cross-legged, gripped the Dream Ladder tightly with his right hand, and drifted into sleep.

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.

"Boom!!!"

That night, a fierce storm raged, with thunder and lightning, as if God had unleashed a raging wrath, launching a flood comparable to Noah's to cleanse the world of all its filth.

Dutch was suddenly thrown into the pouring rain, his head feeling as if it had been hit hard, a dull ache shooting through him. He squinted, trying to make out the town, but couldn't recognize it. It looked a bit like Blackwater, and a bit like Valentine. Every house was tightly shut, and behind every window, not a single light shone, as if everyone was on guard against some vicious creature.

A coyote baring its teeth appeared in the lightning, its lean and menacing form at the end of the muddy road. It glanced at Dutch, then continued on its way, disappearing into the torrential rain.

"Ah... I see... So this must be hell."

He was self-aware enough not to dream of heaven. Realizing this, Dutch shrugged and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hosseah...you were right, hahaha...hahahahaha—!! Ahahahahahaha—!!"

His laughter grew increasingly maniacal, and he even drew his revolver and fired a few shots into the sky.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Three shots fired in quick succession, like a simultaneous cannon salute, actually managed to make a name for himself.

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.

"Boom————!!!"

A sudden explosion ripped through the sky, tearing open the layers of dark clouds overhead. Then, a verdant ladder descended from the heavens, like a sudden burst of light, or like a spider's thread descending from Buddha to hell, landing steadily in the rain-soaked mud. Da Xiong slid down the ladder, stepping into the mud. Though his face was covered in mud, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He made the right bet.

In the dream woven by his subconscious, Dutch still retained his human form.

“Oh, child…we meet again.” He brushed the raindrops off his top hat and looked at him with an extremely complicated expression. “John, Arthur, Hosea, they all abandoned me. I never imagined that in hell, the first person I would meet would be you.”

"You've already gotten what you wanted, you've broken up my gang, isn't that enough? Why did you have to chase me all the way here and wipe me out?"

……

“I’ll correct you on two things.” Da Xiong held up two fingers and said expressionlessly, “First, what I wanted was never to break up your gang. Everyone chooses their own path. If they didn’t choose you, it only means that you can’t give them what they want.”

"Secondly, those people you mentioned have never abandoned you."

"It was you who abandoned them."

Chapter 72: The Final Chapter of the Western Cowboy

“I gave them…everything!”

Dutch seemed to be enraged, his voice gradually rising, and the world in his dream shook along with it. "Who were they before? Thieves, robbers, ex-soldiers, prostitutes, drunkards, swindlers, loan sharks, homeless children. I took them in! I provided them with shelter from the wind and rain! To put it bluntly, their survival to this day is entirely thanks to me!"

At this moment, deep within his subconscious, Dutch stopped spouting empty words and grand ideals, and completely revealed his true thoughts. His eyes blazed with dragon-like fury as he stared straight at Nobita, as if he were about to pounce and tear him apart at any second.

"And you, child, you are just an outsider, an outsider with absolute power! Like a god high above, looking down on all the folly of mortals. How we struggled to survive in the wilderness, how we gathered around the campfire like a real family, drinking and laughing, united as one... Do you know any of this? Do you know any of this?!"

"boom--!!"

Before he finished speaking, Dutch suddenly pulled out his revolver, as if to vent all his frustrations, and pulled the trigger fiercely.

With a thunderous sound, the bullet flew past Nobita's temple without harming him in the slightest.

Perhaps it was the calmness of his eyes behind those glasses that made Dutch appear like a madman with bared teeth and claws. He clicked his tongue in frustration, reluctantly lowered his hand, and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

For a moment, silence filled the path; no one spoke.

The rain is still falling.

"I've never liked you since the first time we met. Now, I finally understand why."

Nobita has never backed down in such a standoff. At this moment, he stared directly into Dutch's eyes, expressing his thoughts calmly and firmly, word by word.

"You are a hypocrite."

“…What?” Dutch was stung by those two words. “Child, I’ll remind you again, it was I who provided them with…”

“A group of criminals rejected by mainstream society were brought together by a bandit leader.” Da Xiong spoke the truth in a cold tone. “No matter how you try to embellish it, this is the reality. Don’t make it sound so noble. You’re only taking them in to expand your criminal business and revitalize your gang. Because you know very well that only desperate people would be willing to live this abnormal life with you.”

"If you really are doing this for some noble ideal, as you say, why did you let someone like Micah join the gang?"

Dutch was stunned by the question. He opened his mouth several times, but couldn't find a suitable reason. In the end, he could only say in a low voice, "You don't understand. Micah is not as wicked as you think. He, he has his good points, just like us."

"for example……?"

“Loyalty!” Dutch gritted his teeth. “For example, never questioning or criticizing my plans, and genuinely respecting me as a leader in public, instead of disobeying my orders in private!”

"So, that's the real reason," Nobita countered without changing his expression.

"The life you want has nothing to do with dreams or freedom; you just want to play Robin Hood forever, using violence and bullets to fight against the civilized world."

"In the end, only Micah can give you that kind of life. Because all he craves is the jungle where the strong prey on the weak."

……

The heavy rain was still falling.

Dutch's gaze gradually cleared from confusion to lucidity. Nobita's words, while stimulating him, also brought back many memories. Like someone who had fallen into a dream, he was becoming increasingly aware of himself by recalling too many details related to reality.

The sky and the ground began to shake, and the dream that had been relatively stable seemed about to fall apart.

A streak of crimson light tore through the clouds, descended to the ground, and illuminated the other end of the muddy path, as if it were a silent urging.

……

"You still have time."

After a long silence, Nobita's first words were to bring hope to people.

"I can erase all the effects you've caused—in the original timeline, these people shouldn't have died at your hands. Even if I don't restore the effects caused by these transdimensional factors, the Time Police will."

Having dealt with the Time Police more than once or twice, Nobita has basically figured out their modus operandi.

The effects caused by time criminals, including the destruction of the surrounding environment and the injuries and deaths inflicted on contemporary people, will be restored to prevent interference with subsequent timelines. Whether or not contemporary memories should be erased depends on the specific circumstances.

"I can also turn your body back into a human's," Nobita continued, trying to persuade him. "Let's end this farce here!"

Dutch's eyes changed rapidly in that instant, showing surprise, bewilderment, and helplessness. In the end, all his emotions, illuminated by the crimson light, transformed into an indescribable smile.

"It seems you truly are God's messenger, child..."

He turned away, no longer holding any hope. All the triumphs and anxieties of his life flashed across his eyes, forming a deep, unyielding darkness.

"Draw your gun."