Nobita's Time Heist

"What did you say, you brat?!"

"No!" Xiaofu jumped up and quickly shook his head. "There's nothing there."

But Gian wasn't about to give up. With a flick of his chopsticks, he snatched a piece of glutinous rice cake from Gian's bowl and swaggered into his mouth, leaving Suneo glaring helplessly.

"Speaking of which, Nobi-kun," Shizuka put down her chopsticks, revealing an incredibly "kind" smile, "why are you up so late at night chatting with other girls? Hmm, or rather, judging from the content of your conversations, you've almost reached the point of 'opening your hearts' to each other, haven't you?"

"...Cough..." In that instant, Nobita's body made a very obvious contraction. A piece of rice cake got stuck in his throat, forcing him to drink a big gulp of water. He turned red in the face and couldn't come up with any explanation.

"Oh dear, Shizuka, you should be used to it by now." Gian, a master of initiating attacks, chewed on mochi while casually launching into a tirade, "He's clearly just Nobita, yet he has the talent to play the role of a caring older brother. Every time he goes on an adventure, he doesn't get up at night. And every time he does, there's a story... Luckily, this time the target is just a twelve-year-old girl."

"If it gets any bigger, it will be dangerous, won't it?"

Fat Tiger didn't specify how dangerous it was, nor did he need to, because Suneo, who had just had a piece of rice cake stolen from him, had already exchanged a glance with him and then revealed a wicked grin.

“What are you talking about? She’s just a little girl… although she does look a bit older than her age.” Da Xiong said helplessly. “Anyway, when we talked, she seemed confused, not knowing what to do to uphold the position of leader, or what to do next. Because her elemental affinity is too strong, she was born to be a leader, but no one has ever taught her what a qualified leader should do.”

“A wicked social system,” Dekisugi commented. “She’s better suited to be a scholar.”

"Or... an adventurer?" Xiaofu tilted his head and looked at Hylia, who was sitting not far away eating and looked a little lonely. "Sinbad was an adventurer through and through, remember?"

"Maybe there will be an opportunity after things here are over." Da Xiong finished the last two bites of rice, his brows furrowing again. "Of course, that is, provided that the plan we've been working on these past few days is a great success, and everything here comes to an end in the way we hope."

The last sentence made the comrades more or less realize that they were still in wartime, and the relaxed atmosphere just now vanished in an instant, and they became tense again.

A thunderous explosion landed precisely outside the Great Archives.

"Thump—!!!"

A powerful shockwave traveled through the walls, causing the entire dining table to tremble. Nobita gripped his spoon tightly and immediately stood up to look around. His worries were not unfounded; the attack had come too suddenly, and the people who had just begun to calm down might become easily frightened again.

Obviously, people who have enough to eat are not as easily frightened as we are. Fear is inevitable, but apart from that, there was no screaming, running away, or pushing each other. There was no need for the US dollar to maintain order. Under the guidance of the sorcerers, everyone bypassed the terraced fields and orderly retreated into their wallpaper houses.

"The West Gate has been attacked—!"

"The main gate has been attacked—!"

"Dongdaemun under attack—!!"

As a series of "good news" arrived, everyone quickly got up and went to the conference room. They took out the spy satellite image and couldn't help but gasp.

On the screen, swarms of insects, several times larger than before, were attacking the Great Archives' defensive lines from all directions. Compared to the previous wave, they were much larger, faster, and their carapaces were much more robust. The energy projectiles of the past would have reduced them to ashes upon impact, but now, the swarm seemed to possess a more tenacious vitality. Orange-red energy projectiles landing among them were enough to set them ablaze, but no longer instantly kill them. They charged forward in a burning state, and under the cover of their astonishing numbers, a few always managed to break through the fire net, exploding at the last moment and crashing into the outer gate of the Great Archives. The thunderous explosions heard earlier originated from this.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

……

It was like a death knell.

"Sure enough, she has evolved her insect once again..." Looking at the dark clouds looming outside the door, Xiao Fu couldn't help but swallow hard, his voice trembling slightly, "It seems our 'honeymoon period' has come to fruition."

"There was no honeymoon period from the start. She was testing our defensive firepower and, based on the characteristics, evolving corresponding defensive measures, and then mass-producing them." Dekisugi's tone was very serious. "Relying on just four cannons, I'm afraid..."

"The Invincible Turret can hold out for a while longer." Nobita was quite confident about this. "Doraemon and I have tried to break through it with external force, and tried many methods, but all of them failed. As the enemy's methods upgrade, it will also unlock more advanced defensive measures. We have a total of four cannons, so we don't have to worry about being truly breached for the time being."

"But I worry that if this continues, it will only help the Mother of Insects evolve into an even more powerful and difficult-to-deal-with army."

Nobita looked around and revealed the real difficulty.

They can't stay cooped up in the Great Archives forever; sooner or later they'll go out and reclaim the Golden City.

The longer it drags on, the more fully the evolution will proceed on the Mother of Insects' side. At that time, they will face a terrifying horde of insects that will continue to evolve amidst the baptism of gunfire.

"Xiaoshan, I don't want to put pressure on you, but..."

Da Xiong turned his head, nodded slightly to Dekisugi, and said in a deep voice, "We don't have much time left."

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.

Due to modifications made by some platforms, the author had to pad the word count; please ignore the following content.

I'll treat you to steamed lamb, steamed bear's paw, steamed deer tail, roast duck, roast chicken, roast goose, braised pork, braised duck, soy sauce chicken, cured pork, preserved eggs, small sausages, dried meat, sausages, assorted cold dishes, smoked chicken belly, steamed eight-treasure pork, glutinous rice stuffed duck, braised pheasant, braised quail, braised assorted dishes, braised goose, pheasant, rabbit breast, vegetable dish, silver fish, and steamed frog!

Chapter 119: The Props Genius Makes His Second Appearance!

The first operational meeting held to reclaim lost territory involved all personnel.

The operations center had been upgraded to a separate study, which, although no longer cramped, still couldn't accommodate so many people. Da Xiong could only set up two 3D projectors to project the scene inside onto the crowd outside. After several days of busy farming and harvesting, the crowd's organization had improved considerably. Several thousand people sat obediently in the hall, looking up at the projection, completely silent.

They knew that this was their only hope of reclaiming their homeland.

"This is all so formal, it's making me a little nervous." Xiaofu tugged at the bow tie on his chest and couldn't help but ask, "Do I really have to wear a suit?"

“After all, it’s a very serious occasion. Nobita-kun probably wants everyone to realize the seriousness of the situation. But…” Through the two-way screen, Dekisugi could also see the situation outside—everyone was sitting in their seats, arranged in neat squares according to their assigned areas. “It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to worry about.”

"Ultimately, this is still their hometown."

……

"Good morning, everyone. It's been a long time since we've chatted together like this." After confirming the debugging issues one last time, Da Xiong, dressed in a dark brown suit, slowly stepped forward and began to speak. He was actually only speaking to Hylia and the others, but since the projection device would broadcast the live images, he didn't have to face the massive crowd, which made him feel much more relaxed.

"Thanks to everyone's hard work these past few days, we have harvested a great deal of grain. Wheat, rice, green peppers, and some fast-growing vegetables have all yielded an unprecedented bumper harvest. Based on our current population, it is enough to sustain us for more than a month."

“But it’s not just us; the enemy has noticed this too.” Nobita nodded slightly to Suneo, who immediately tapped a few times on the screen, summoning a projection image that would make anyone with trypophobia feel like they were going to die.

Countless gray dots surged in from all directions, while in the central building, four cannons fired day and night, physically deterring it. The two maintained a delicate dynamic balance, a zero-sum game where neither could gain the upper hand.

"The Mother of Insects' initial tactic was to besiege us, and obviously, she failed. But she also had spies—those locusts that flew in during our busy farming season were likely her informants. Realizing that she couldn't exterminate us by cutting off our water and food, the Mother of Insects intensified her offensive."

Da Xiong pointed to the projected image, his voice gradually rising, "We could simply continue to huddle in the Great Archives, relying on our superior firepower and logistics to hold our ground. But if we continue to wear each other down like this, the end result might be that we'll be trapped here forever. The Zerg can evolve amidst gunfire, but humans can't; human evolution is very slow."

"In that case, the conclusion is obvious..."

He paused intentionally, giving everyone time to think and accept the information.

"We must take the initiative to reclaim our lost homeland."

As he had predicted, the crowd began to stir.

Hiding in a fortified fortress to farm is one thing, but asking them to take up arms and confront the Mother of Insects' army head-on is entirely another matter. The courage required for the two is on completely different levels, so it's perfectly normal for them to feel fear.

Ultimately, most people here had no idea of ​​the Mother of Insects' true power before she broke the seal. They only knew that a demon had been suppressed beneath the Golden Land for over a hundred years, and had been perfectly fine. Why did it choose today to break the seal?

Faced with the tsunami-like surge of insects, most people's courage had already vanished from the very beginning. Even the representatives standing on the opposite side showed astonishment, feeling that the plan was not feasible.

Reclaiming lost territory means real fighting, and it means that death could come at any moment.

"We are all foreigners, we do not belong here, and sooner or later we will have to return to our own countries. Just imagine, how do you plan to conduct yourselves then?"

……

"Stay..."

"Stay!"

"Stay!"

At first, it was just one or two people chanting in the crowd, but they quickly gathered together, forming a strange wave of sound, as if they were performing some kind of ritual.

Seeing the genuine fear on their faces as they shouted, Da Xiong fell silent, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

When they first arrived, this group practically had xenophobic tendencies written all over their faces. Apart from that naive twelve-year-old girl, everyone else was extremely wary of them. For some reason, after someone was identified as a member of the Lan tribe, a city-wide manhunt was launched without hesitation.

Now, fortunes have reversed. The entire Golden Land has been overrun by insect swarms, and the once incredibly proud elementalists are now forced to farm for a living under the protection of foreigners. All they can think about is relying on the foreigners' protection and just getting by.

The fickle nature of human nature is evident from this.

After silently marveling at the value of courage, Da Xiong cleared his throat and continued, "Of course, the main participants in this operation will not be you all."

"Insect swarms can multiply rapidly in a very short time. Each individual among them has no independent thought. In the end, they are nothing more than pawns in the hands of the Insect Mother, who can produce tens of thousands in a single day. Trading one's flesh and blood for the enemy's life is the worst possible strategy."

Upon hearing that they wouldn't be the ones going to the battlefield, the atmosphere in the crowd began to ease, and voices of agreement gradually emerged. "Golden Land is our home," they said, "we must reclaim it."

“Please forgive my reservations, stranger.” Gendry stood up, still looking at Nobita with his cold, icy blue eyes, but now there was little hostility in his gaze, more of a sense of duty and suspicion. “Although the Golden City has been free from war for a long time, previous records show that war must be won by soldiers—real soldiers, soldiers in armor and wielding weapons.”

"We have no weapons; elemental power is our weapon. Even decades ago, when our ancestors sealed the Mother of Insects underground, it was not like a fairy tale, done without firing a single shot. According to historical records, the price we paid far exceeded what we could imagine in peacetime."

"The people of Golden Land should not be so cowardly as to rely on outsiders even in a battle for survival!"

These words were undeniably passionate and inspiring. Da Xiong noticed that many young people in the audience seemed moved by Gendry. Their posture began to change; they craned their necks, straightened their backs, and puffed out their chests, as if trying to write their fervor on their faces. But they were quickly pulled back down by their parents sitting next to them, as if they were afraid that if they looked at each other for too long, they would be conscripted into the army.

……

"Thank you for your remarks, Gendley, but we were not entirely unprepared."

With a "thump," Nobita took out a very sophisticated-looking machine from his pocket, which had a structure somewhat similar to a microscope, and placed it on the table so that everyone could see it.

"【New Plant Manufacturing Machine】—This is something we've been researching for the past few days. The good news is that we have a brilliant person on our team, and the research is already showing initial results." Nobita winked at Dekisugi, who smiled sheepishly, with an expression that said, "I only did a tiny bit of work."

"To reiterate, we will not use our flesh and blood to fight against the Zerg army."

“We will have our own ‘army’…an endless army.”

Chapter 120: Nobita's Little Cleverness

The pre-battle speech ended there. After observing the public's reaction, Da Xiong had roughly concluded that there was no way to expect them to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy. Perhaps they could throw elemental orbs in a safe place, but if that were the case, their destructive power could never compare to the invincible turret, so what was the point?

After a brief explanation of the prop's incredible capabilities, everyone in Golden Village stared wide-eyed in disbelief. It was truly incomprehensible that such a relatively small metal contraption could contain such miraculous power.

"So, this is a 'machine' used to cultivate plants?" Upon seeing this novel gadget, Hylia couldn't contain her curiosity. She circled the machine several times, her eyes glued to it, eager to get her hands on it and play with it immediately.

Of course, Nobita could understand her, because he himself had been in a similar situation. After Doraemon revealed this gadget, he deliberately cultivated a mouse-shaped flower to scare her away, so he could freely unleash his imagination and tinker with this magical gadget. In the end, he inevitably messed things up, cultivating a whole bunch of self-moving carrots, and Doraemon had to clean up the mess again. (From the new anime series "Nobita's Great Carrot Battle")

"That's not quite accurate." Out of a subtle sense of camaraderie with his "troublemaker," Nobita smiled at her in a friendly manner, which made Shizuka, who was standing next to him, feel a little uneasy. "It's not about cultivation, but about modifying the plant's genetic segments from the seed stage."

"In the human world, genetic engineering experiments have reached a certain stage. This project is called CRISPA, and countries with a certain level of technological development around the world are involved in it. However, compared to Nobita's gadgets, it's nothing." Dekisugi took out a bulb, placed it in the [New Plant Manufacturing Machine], and explained while demonstrating.

“Every plant cell contains genetic information, which is like a blueprint for a living organism. All living things grow according to this blueprint. That’s why apple trees bear apples and rose seeds can bloom into roses.”

"Now, we'll use a laser scalpel and electronic adhesive to make some minor modifications to this genome map, like this... like this... and like this again..."

He skillfully operated the machine. Da Xiong taught him the basics, and before long, he had mastered it.

"OK, a brand new plant has been born!"

He took out the bulb and excitedly showed it to everyone, but...

"It seems like nothing has changed." Mira's tone was somewhat disappointed. "It's exactly the same as before."

"Its genes have changed, a change that is invisible to the naked eye; it can only be seen by cultivating it..."

As they spoke, Gian conveniently handed over a flowerpot covered in soil, while Suneo, like a magician's assistant, slowly draped the "Time Wrap" over it. A few seconds later, the wrapping bulged out, and he abruptly lifted it. What was growing in the flowerpot was astonishing—it didn't look like it had grown from a bulb at all; it resembled some kind of ancient fern, hard and heavy, with a long rectangular indentation in the middle. If one hadn't seen it placed in the soil, they might have mistaken it for a dark green, square rock.

Shizuka took her phone out of her pocket and gently placed it in the groove.

"beep!"

The charging notification light came on, and most of the people in the room were stunned.

Although Golden Township is isolated from the outside world, it doesn't mean that the people here are completely ignorant of the outside world. At the very least, they know the common sense that mobile phones need charging cables and plugs to be charged.

That's why they were so astonished by what they saw. A group of people surrounded the new plant, picked up the pot, and examined it carefully from all angles, but they still couldn't figure out what was going on. There was no back door, no hidden mechanism; this green plant was indeed generating electricity!

"Like this, by modifying its genetic blueprints, plants can change their original form and become the tools we want. They can be spears, shields, or produce food for us. Of course... my initial design was to make one type of plant a true combat hub, capable of bypassing us and coordinating the deployment of other types of plants."

Dekisugi pointed towards the distant holy land and said in a deep voice, "The Mother of Insects is their central authority. Her will controls the insect tide, and all mobilizations are perfectly coordinated."

"If we are to fight against her, our troops can only have one mind and one will. So, instead of creating more types of troops, I think we should design a 'mind'—a plant that can manipulate other plants. The war ahead will be dominated by it... at least, the battle against the insect swarm should be like that."

"What a brilliant idea!" Hylia exclaimed. "So...?"

"After working for several days in a row, I finally created this."

With a strange sense of pride and satisfaction, Dekisugi took a seed sealed in a bag from his pocket. Its appearance was unremarkable, like an amber-colored hazelnut. However, after witnessing the wonder of this item firsthand, no one dared to underestimate it anymore; everyone believed that this tiny seed contained incredible power.

"What it originally was is no longer important. In order to modify it, I have almost dismantled all the gene fragments in this seed. I'm afraid that, apart from belonging to the same 'plant' category, it has no connection with its original appearance whatsoever. Once it grows up, it will become a biological central processor that can sense and analyze the situation on the battlefield and adjust the other offensive plants that I have modified."

"In short, if the Mother of Zerg can evolve hordes of Zerg, so can we. If the Mother of Zerg can produce an infinite number of units, so can we!"

Fat Tiger revealed a confident smile, "Now this is what you call a battle of equals!"

"I'm only responsible for the design of the central core; the rest of the combat plants are handled by my partner, Nobita. It's not hard to differentiate them; they're mainly for offense and defense. Each seed is designed to target the swarm's weaknesses. If all goes well, we'll witness its power tonight." Dekisugi clenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "A surprise attack will be more advantageous..."

"Xiaoshan".

After a long silence, Nobita suddenly asked, "Is this the best you can do with this seed?"

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.

"...Nobita-kun?" Dekisugi was slightly taken aback, unsure of the deeper meaning behind Nobita's sudden question. "This seed is mine..."

"Don't overthink it, just answer my question." Nobita's tone wasn't aggressive at all; instead, it seemed he was eager to know his answer. "I'm asking, when you designed this seed, did you put all your wisdom into it and consider every possible detail? This seed is your best masterpiece, it couldn't be better?"

Dekisugi wasn't one to boast, so he thought about it seriously for a while before nodding.

"That's good."