Nobita's Time Heist

"You know what? There's a saying going around," Shizuka suddenly said, "that the neighbor who put the pot lid on his head is the bad guy."

"Those are just online rumors, not true." Dekisugi shook his head with a smile. "In fact, since its release, this game has provided almost no explanation of its world-building. I guess the creators don't want players to overthink it; they just want to enjoy the process of plants fighting zombies."

……

As a representative of a generation's childhood memories, this strategy game that was once popular all over the world is so classic that even Xiaoshan, who usually knows nothing about computer games, can talk about it.

At first, Nobita was racking his brains trying to figure out what kind of plant he could create to fight off the endless swarm of insects. Around midnight, a sudden thought struck him: Why bother thinking about it anymore? Haven't some predecessors already set a good example?

Without hesitation, he used the "New Plant Maker" to create many truly new plants based on Plants vs. Zombies. Popping Pea, Twisting Waterweed, Tall-nut Wall, Doom-shroom… the icons of these things projected onto the big screen did indeed give the feeling of playing a 3D Plants vs. Zombies game.

In a sense, Xiaofu was right. In the game, you need to collect sunlight to exchange for plants, but here, Yggdrasil takes care of everything. Countless combat plant seeds are rapidly produced, loaded into cannons, and launched non-stop onto the battlefield, as if it were cheating.

As they watched, several slender vines, entwined with flowers, slowly descended from above. The flowers themselves were peculiarly shaped, with one end closed, like cups filled with a clear liquid exuding a refreshing minty fragrance. The vines descended perfectly in front of them, almost as if they were feeding the flowers directly to them.

"Is this for us? Thank you." Fat Tiger didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing the vine and slurping it down in one go. His eyes cleared instantly. "Delicious!!!"

"Is this... nectar?" Shizuka took a small sip, finding it unbelievable. "It tastes like mint milk tea."

“It looks delicious…” Meijin, who was watching from the side, also became interested and tilted her head up to ask, “Can you produce oil? Or gasoline will do, I’m not picky.”

The emerald vines visibly stiffened for a moment, then swayed randomly from side to side, roughly equivalent to a human head shaking. But soon, light surged along the thick tree roots, and several hard, dark green cubes fell from above. Curious, Mei Jin reached out to touch them, and with a crackling sound, an arc of electricity traveled through his metal fingers into his body, causing his azure optical glasses to suddenly light up.

"Batteries will do too." He excitedly gathered the plant batteries together and shouted upwards, "Thanks!"

The leaves hanging overhead rustled, as if saying "You're welcome."

……

"To be honest, Nobita-kun, this is a bit beyond my expectations." Dekisugi looked at Yggdrasil with a slightly complicated expression. "Not only can it provide food, but it also has no problem providing a stable energy source. Could we be unwittingly..."

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.

"drop!"

"drop!"

"drop!"

Before he could finish speaking, the alarm suddenly went off, once again disturbing people's peaceful sleep.

The Zerg's attacks were clearly unpredictable, and after only 16 hours of adaptation, the opposing side began to come up with entirely new tricks.

"Something's not right..." Xiaofu pulled up the spy satellites lurking throughout Golden Township, pieced together the pattern, and gasped, "The other side has evolved new insects, and they're gnawing on the rootless duckweed that were released last night!"

Chapter 124: The Arms Race

The rootless duckweed, also known as the water lily, is one of the smallest flowers in the world. Just as its name suggests, it is about the size of a grain of sand.

Its flowers are even more charmingly miniature. Yggdrasil modified the seeds of this plant slightly, allowing them to drift in the wind like dandelions, increasing their mobility. It relied on these small flowers, which could quickly bloom throughout the city, to detect every move of the enemy.

At this moment, a green flying insect suddenly began to wreak havoc in the golden land. Unlike its companions, it was no longer large enough to swallow a person whole; instead, its size began to shrink, barely larger than a grasshopper at most.

These flying insects began to swarm throughout the city, feeding on the rootless duckweed, and in an instant, a large portion of last night's efforts were devoured. Centered on the holy site, a significant portion of the city was rapidly lost from view, and this area continued to expand.

"Is the arms race already underway?" Xiaofu swallowed hard, realizing how formidable the opponent was, and the lighthearted atmosphere vanished instantly. "It's only been half a day, and they've already figured out how to deal with our plants. Their learning ability is simply..."

"Snapped!"

"it hurts!"

Before he could finish speaking, Fat Tiger slapped him hard on the shoulder, almost dislocating his arm.

"Why are you making that face? Didn't we expect this situation beforehand?" At a time like this, the presence of a player with a strong heart like Fat Tiger makes people feel inexplicably at ease. "The other side is no pushover either. They will definitely try their best to retaliate against us."

"Don't worry, Honekawa-kun. This level of confrontation is still within our design. Yggdrasil will figure something out."

……

In a remote corner of a city, a flying insect was nibbling at a rootless duckweed growing on a wall. Just as it was tearing at the petals with its sharp mandibles, dust billowed, and a nimble snake suddenly emerged from the soil. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it still belonged to the "category" of plants—a small vegetative plant connected to a vine, its leaves covered with fuzzy barbs. It might be harmless to humans, but for dealing with such a small insect, it was a surefire way to catch it.

The insect was quickly stuck to the leaf, its only limbs flailing helplessly. Tiny, flesh-colored tentacles extended from the vegetation, like a meticulously precise micro-invasive surgery, piercing into the insect's body.

All information about its physical structure was transmitted rapidly to Yggdrasil, thousands of meters away, via this medium.

“Buzz——!”

Light surged, and a wondrous luster appeared on the surface of the giant tree. Although it was not yet the season, the canopy began to bloom adaptively. The ice-blue flowers were merely containers; with a gust of wind, translucent powder drifted out from them, scattering onto the earth below. They reflected the sunlight like snowflakes, or like dust after a great fire had burned everything, like a galaxy falling, exceptionally beautiful.

only……

When they land on flying insects and use their bodies as "soil" to quickly take root and sprout, it's not so beautiful anymore.

Footage captured by spy satellites shows these tiny blue powder particles, almost as if possessing sentience, burrowing into the already small bodies of the insects. Moments later, icy, velvety particles emerge, completely filling the insects from within. The process is somewhat gruesome, as the insects themselves remain active; their bodies are stretched to the point of immobility and flight, causing them to fall from the air and then, with a "pop," explode like balloons bursting with hydrogen gas. Countless more icy blue dust particles are then ejected, spreading in a chain reaction and infecting even more insects.

The word spread rapidly, from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Within minutes, the number of insects on the projected map decreased dramatically, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method.

There was no cheering in the command center, only silence. Any human being with a modicum of sense and empathy would find it difficult to genuinely laugh at what they had just witnessed. The group began to realize that perhaps, in order to defeat a terrifying enemy, they had created something no less terrifying.

Pandora's box has been opened, and only God knows what the future holds.

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.

"Click..."

At first, Jia Kun tried to avoid the dead insects, but he soon realized it was pointless; they were everywhere. Every time his foot landed, he would crush several insects, and then icy velvet would burst out. Fortunately, they didn't attach themselves to people; after finding no one to inhabit, they would drift in the air for a while and then wither away.

"Rapid growth, effective only on one type of organism, terrifying proliferative and spread capabilities... Heh..."

He caught a wisp of velvet floating in the air with his fingers and murmured, "You can't be underestimated for a moment, Nobita."

"What is that?" The priest followed behind him, his voice, hidden behind his mask, revealing astonishment. "It's shooting out from that tree?"

"Have you heard of Cordyceps sinensis?" After asking this question, Jia Kun tapped his head again. "Sorry, I forgot this is in the desert... Anyway, some insects are parasitized by fungi and survive as pupae, becoming a kind of Chinese medicine with medicinal value. Obviously, this thing works on a similar principle, only it's more like a new plant created specifically for the new insect race."

"Don't you understand, my friend? All the advantages that the Mother of Insects had before vanished the moment this towering tree grew out."

"But...but...how did he do that?" The priest sounded very confused. The current situation was far beyond his expectations. "For hundreds of years, while the Mother of Insects was sealed away, she continued to multiply her insect army and expand her military. The foreigners have only been in the Golden Land for a few days, yet they are able to fight her to a standstill?"

“Essentially, the foreigners who came this time are the same kind of people as Narniadis, whom you've been longing for. Creating miracles is as commonplace for them as eating and drinking; it's nothing special.” Jaqen shook his head and sighed, “Unfortunately… those who are favored by time are ultimately abandoned by time. They are thrown into a vast desert where no one knows them, and go mad on their own.”

"You mentioned before that they're called 'Time-Space Anchors'? And your friend with the long name harbors murderous intentions towards them?"

"Hahahaha..." To everyone's surprise, Jia Kun burst into laughter upon hearing this. "You've really misunderstood, my crow friend."

“Crow…” The priest lowered his head slightly, seemingly glancing at his bird-beak mask.

“Michel de Nootdam is not a friend of any human being. You’ll understand when you meet him in person.”

"He hates the Time Anchor because he predicted the end of the world in 1999, and Nobita..."

"His prophecy will be torn to shreds."

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.

Under the moonlight, the sound of cannons continued without pause, but fortunately, everyone had gotten used to it over the past few days and it did not affect their rest.

Nobita, who usually falls asleep instantly, is unable to sleep for a long time.

As the moonlight streamed down, he looked at the crumpled copy of "The Demon Realm's Journey" on the table, along with several props arranged in a row, and fell into deep thought.

Chapter 125: A Divine Hand!

Shock gun, air cannon, instant sticking gun, submachine gun, homing missile, Overlord gun, heat ray gun... and many other real weapons that Nobita can't name. A careful inventory reveals that Doraemon's pocket contains quite a few real weapons, whether they're just for show. It's more than enough for a world war, a decisive battle, or even a decapitation strike.

The pocket can read a person's thoughts to some extent, which is why Doraemon takes out gadgets while calling out their names. Reading aloud enhances the association of thoughts; as you read, you naturally picture the gadget in your mind, making it easier to take it out.

Of course, Doraemon himself is missing a screw in his head (see "The Birth of Doraemon in 2112" for details). This leads to the fact that many times, what he thinks and what he says may not be the same thing, which further causes him to easily lose his composure when nervous, thus failing to produce what he wants.

Anyway, Nobita is now the actual owner of the pocket, but he hasn't come up with any good ideas yet. So, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, put his right hand in the pocket, and started pulling things out as he pleased. Before he knew it, he had invented a game similar to Russian roulette: no specific items were specified, just see what you could pull out at the end.

However, a few minutes later, a huge pile of ammunition was simply stacked on the table. With this kind of setup, if the Iron Man Corps came again, they'd probably be defeated.

This made Nobita unconsciously begin to reflect—the bright moonlight and the quiet room seemed like a perfect place to explore his inner world.

My most genuine first thought was actually to kill her?

This thought felt somewhat foreign to Da Xiong. Between the two paths, his subconscious chose the most convenient one. Indeed, the Mother of Insects was the root of all problems; a single blast would solve everything. With her dead, the Insectoids would be brainless and thus lose their threat. Golden Land could then return to its natural and peaceful state, continuing its life of tranquility. It seemed like a happy ending for everyone.

but……

Is this really good?

……

"Still up in the middle of the night? Be careful you don't get panda eyes!"

A voice as sweet as honey suddenly came from behind. Even though the tone wasn't particularly aggressive, its very presence was a symbol of "intrusion." Nobita reacted quickly. With his weapon at hand, he casually grabbed the [Overlord Spear], powerful enough to melt a future world's tank into molten iron, skillfully turned the knob, and simultaneously turned to aim at the horned girl behind him.

"It was wrong of me to invade your personal space. Could you please not point that thing at me?" Shuten-dōji raised her hands, feigning reluctance. Despite being pointed at with a gun, she seemed completely unfazed, licking her little fangs and smiling, "Young man?"

"..." Da Xiong really wasn't sure what she was there for, and after hesitating for a moment, he put the gun down.

At this moment, they were all essentially inside Yggdrasil, which provided the best guarantee of safety. Even if she wanted to launch a surprise attack, the room, already integrated with the giant tree, would likely react in time.

"Shizuka told me about you. She said you seem to be..." Nobita hesitated, hoping to find a more euphemistic way to express himself. Naihe, whose cultural knowledge was limited, struggled for a long time without coming up with a solution, and could only honestly say, "A monster?"

"To be precise, I belong to the category of 'ghost,' but in the eyes of mortals, it seems that we are all the same."

Shuten-dōji moved a chair aside and sat opposite Nobita, crossing his legs and watching him with great interest.

But her eyes... although they seemed affectionate up close, made Da Xiong feel very uncomfortable, like he had a thorn in his back.

Like a cunning snake, she observes her prey.

"The world of ghosts and monsters isn't that different from the world of mortals. There are laid-back people like me, well-read philosophers, and ambitious conquerors. Intrigues, backstabbing, everything you see in the human world still happens there." She shrugged, looking nonchalant. "Don't worry about that yet. No one can do two things at the same time, not even you."

"Right now, your biggest concern should be that Insect Queen, shouldn't it?"

She slightly raised the long horns on her forehead, pointed to the pile of objects on the table, and smiled, "You're hesitating between appeasement and iron-bloodedness, unsure of which choice will satisfy everyone."

"I can't please everyone. Doraemon told me a long time ago that I can't please everyone." Nobita muttered, looking at the half-rolled "Journey to the Demon World" and a pile of weapons on the table. "I only need to please myself."

"Clearly, young man, your moral standards are higher than those of the average person."

"Me?? Hahaha, you must have gotten something wrong. I was a real troublemaker when I was little." Recalling all the mischief he'd gotten into as a child, Nobita couldn't help but laugh at the assessment. "Once, I took Doraemon's Monster Ball and secretly put it in my mom's room..."

“You possess ‘this’.” Shuten-dōji interrupted him, pointing to the vines hanging above their heads. “Even in my homeland, few great demons or calamities can rival it. Perhaps only Yamata no Orochi in his lifetime could possibly compete with your creation.”

Da Xiong paused for a moment, and for some reason, the image of the flying insect being burst by the mycelium resurfaced in his mind.

Initially, Yggdrasil was created merely to solve immediate problems. However, in retrospect, perhaps it is as Shuten-dōji said.

He created a terrifying weapon.

"With such immense power, the world still hasn't fallen into your hands. This shows that your moral standards must be higher than ordinary people. That's why you're uneasy right now..." Shuten-dōji's eyes were like magic, able to devour one's gaze completely. "Take my advice, young man."

"War is war; there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Perhaps she wrote those words, but so what? Do you expect to convince her with just words?"

Shuten-dōji shook his head, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Don't underestimate the power of time, young man. She has been sealed underground for hundreds of years! Whoever she was, she has vanished like smoke. She has forgotten her identity, forgotten her mission. Every word on this scroll no longer belongs to her."

"At this moment, she is merely the 'Mother of Insects,' and what you must do is..."

"Wait a minute!" Nobita suddenly sat up straight as if struck by a flash of inspiration. "What did you just say?"

"..." Shuten-dōji was also startled by him, "She's just the Mother of Insects..."

"The sentence before that!"

"War is war..."

"Wait a minute! Later, you said she forgot her identity?" Nobita suddenly had a thought. "Could I interpret this as her now having a disease similar to Alzheimer's?"

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Shuten-dōji said in a deep voice. When she got serious, she even dropped the self-reference she used for herself. “The Mother of Insects has lost her sense of self. Anyone who tries to communicate with her has been killed by her.”

“But she’s still her, right? Her past doesn’t disappear just because of current changes!” Nobita jumped up from his chair, his eyes brightening once more. “Thank you! Really, thank you!”

"Wait, what are you doing..."

Before Shuten-dōji could react, he gave her a firm hug. This long-awaited physical touch silenced the eloquent King of Demons.

While she was still in shock, Nobita had already rushed out and disappeared without a trace.

Chapter 126: The Zerg, Evolving Again!

"A surprise attack?" At the breakfast table the next morning, after hearing Nobita's initial idea, Shizuka couldn't help but say, "Let's not even talk about whether this plan is feasible. You need to get a good night's sleep. Look at your dark circles."

It's hard to imagine that Nobita, who can fall asleep while being punished in the hallway, would one day be associated with something like "dark circles under his eyes." But, since arriving in Golden Village, he really hasn't had a proper rest for several nights in a row.

This is also related to Nobita's personality: he does like to sleep and can fall asleep very quickly, but once something more interesting comes along, he can study it tirelessly without sleep.

Just like the book "The Fifteen-Year-Old Boy's Drifting Adventure" that Ichiki gave him, once he really got into it, he would unusually stay up all night reading it, determined not to stop until he finished the whole book, which once scared his parents so much that they thought he had eaten something unclean.

At this moment, after Shuten-dōji inadvertently pointed out the general direction, everything seemed to return to his familiar rhythm.

“What Nobita said makes sense. Actually, Alzheimer’s disease, which is what we know as senile dementia, doesn’t mean that patients have lost their memories. Rather, it means that the part of their brain responsible for ‘sorting’ memories has become disordered.” Taking advantage of the opportunity to gather together at breakfast, Izuki began to explain to everyone, “When ordinary people look back on their lives, they definitely start from kindergarten, then elementary school, junior high school, high school, and so on. There is a clear timeline that connects the memories of different periods.”

"But in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, this line is jumbled. In their perception, they should be in the past, but everything doesn't match up with the present. They don't know where they are or who the people around them are—perhaps they didn't even know them decades ago."