Chapter 3

3 IN THE HILLS ABOVE THE TOWN OF MIDVILLE, A KID WITH SIZE-FIVE WING-TIP shoes, a floppy bow tie, and a bad haircut stands on top of the dam at the western end of Lake Midville. The way he is waving his arms up and down, it's hard to tell if he is happy or angry or both. But he is definitely talking to the chimpanzee standing next to him. The chimpanzee wearing pin-striped pants, a white

在米德维尔镇上方的山丘上，一个孩子站在米德维尔湖西端的水坝顶上，穿着5号的尖头鞋，系着松软的领结，发型很糟糕。 从他上下挥动手臂的样子，很难分辨他是高兴还是生气，或者两者都有。 但他肯定是在和站在他旁边的黑猩猩说话。 黑猩猩穿着细条纹的裤子，一身白色

shirt, a dark tie, and no shoes. "I'm still mad at you for running off and letting Frank Einstein and his idiot robots wreck my Antimatter Motor," says the kid with the bad haircut, T. Edison. "But I have to say—your idea to buy the Midville Power and Light Company is pretty smart. For a monkey."

衬衫，深色领带，不穿鞋。 “我还在生你的气，你跑掉了，让弗兰克·爱因斯坦和他的白痴机器人毁了我的反物质发动机，”发型不好的孩子T说。 爱迪生。“但我不得不说，你收购米德维尔电力照明公司的想法非常聪明。 为了一只猴子。”

Mr. Chimp checks his phone, then puts it back in his pocket. He gives Edison a sidelong glance and signs:

猩猩先生看了看手机，然后把它放回口袋里。 他斜眼看了爱迪生一眼，示意道：

"Watch this," says Edison. He flips open the cover to the dam's control panel. He punches the green button under the label OPEN SLUICE GATE. Underwater, on the lake side of the concrete dam below their feet, an iron gate slides up with a low rumble and lets a rush of water thunder into the penstock tube. Edison and Mr. Chimp watch the water in

“看这个，”爱迪生说。 他掀开大坝控制面板的盖子。 他按下了“打开闸门”标签下的绿色按钮。 在水下，在他们脚下的混凝土大坝的湖边，一扇铁门随着低沉的隆隆声滑了起来，一股水流轰隆隆地涌进了压力管。 爱迪生和猩猩先生看着水进来

front of the dam swirl and form a gigantic whirlpool that disappears down under them. "Pretty amazing, huh?" says Edison. "Nothing but moving water. Water that spins the turbine. Water that turns the electrical generator shaft. Water that sends electricity to the transformer. Water that delivers my electricity to my suckers... oh, I mean customers. Customers who have to pay whatever I tell them to pay." Mr. Chimp motions with two hands, as if throttling himself. "Well, of course," says Edison. "Once we buy and close all the other electricity- producing companies, we will have the customers in a choke hold." Edison and Mr. Chimp watch the dark whirlpool, feel the rumbling hum spin of the heavy metal turbine blades and shaft, imagine the electricity speeding through the wires. Mr. Chimp draws his index finger slowly

大坝的前部旋转，形成一个巨大的漩涡，然后消失在下面。 “很神奇吧？”爱迪生说。 “只有流动的水。 使涡轮机旋转的水。 使发电机轴转动的水。 把电输送到变压器的水。 把电输送到吸盘的水…… 哦，我是说顾客。我让顾客付多少，他们就得付多少。” 猩猩先生用两只手动了动，好像在掐自己的脖子。 “嗯，当然，”爱迪生说。 “一旦我们收购并关闭所有其他的发电公司，我们就会让客户陷入困境。” 爱迪生和黑猩猩先生看着黑暗的漩涡，感受着重金属涡轮叶片和轴的轰鸣旋转，想象着电流在电线中快速流过。 黑猩猩先生慢慢地抽出食指

across his throat. Edison leans back in surprise. "And then we kill everyone?!" Mr. Chimp rolls his eyes. He frowns and shakes his head, as if to say, No, you idiot. I just meant close the sluice gate. Mr. Chimp punches the red CLOSE SLUICE GATE button. "Let's close the sluice gate," says Edison. He doesn't see Mr. Chimp roll his eyes again. Edison and Mr. Chimp head back to shore. Edison turns to look at what is now his hydroelectric dam. "My plan will make all of Midville depend on me for all their energy!" Mr. Chimp signs:

掐着他的喉咙。爱迪生吃惊地向后靠了靠。 “然后我们杀了所有人？！”猩猩先生翻了个白眼。 他皱着眉头，摇着头，好像在说，不，你这个白痴。 我是说关上水闸。 猩猩先生按下红色的关闭闸门按钮。 “我们把水闸关上吧，”爱迪生说。 他没有再看到猩猩先生翻白眼。 爱迪生和猩猩先生回到岸边。 爱迪生回头看了看现在是他的水电站。 “我的计划会让米德维尔的所有人都依赖我的精力！”黑猩猩先生的手势：