Chapter 21

chapter twenty-one The thin smoke that follows the explosion drifts through the mall. It's like a fog that hangs over the Mallusk, amplifying the eerie silence that follows. As that fog clears, the advancing enemy comes into full view. And it is not a nice view. This isn't just one division or one single squad of Thrull's army, like the swarming Howlers or the raging Mortar Monsters. This is more. Much more. And Thrull himself is leading this assault... We can't see him yet, but we can hear him. His every word is a thunderous boom that echoes across the steel train graveyard beyond...

爆炸后的细烟飘过商场。 它就像一层雾笼罩在马鲁斯克号上，放大了随之而来的可怕的寂静。 当浓雾散去时，前进的敌人就清晰可见了。 而且景色也不好。 这不仅仅是Thrull的一个部门或一个小队的军队，如成群的咆哮者或愤怒的迫击炮怪物。 这是更多。更多。而Thrull本人正在领导这次袭击…… 我们还看不见他，但能听到他的声音。 他的每一句话都是雷鸣般的轰鸣声，回荡在远处的钢铁列车墓地……

Hearing Savior has arrived Hearing Thrull's voice again—not via some awful vision or a cryptic note wrapped in a nightmare but here, in the flesh—gets my adrenaline stampeding. Thrull's voice booms. "This day, the boy Jack Sullivan will die! This day, the creature called Drooler will die! But I will allow the rest of you to live! You will have the honor of aiding in the Tower's construction." The citizens of Mallusk City are frozen. At first, I think it's fear that keeps them from fleeing. But it's worse than that: they're listening. Considering. Processing Thrull's vile proclamations and promises. I gulp. If he offers free pizza, we're done for.

再次听到Thrull的声音——不是通过可怕的幻象或包裹在噩梦中的神秘纸条，而是在这里，在肉体上——让我的肾上腺素激增。 斯拉尔的声音轰隆作响。“今天，杰克·苏利文这个男孩会死！”今天，那个叫流口水的家伙会死！但我会让你们剩下的人活下去！你将有幸帮助建造伦敦塔。” 马勒斯克市的市民都被冻住了。 起初，我认为是恐惧让他们不敢逃跑。 但更糟糕的是：他们在听。 考虑。处理Thrull卑鄙的宣言和承诺。 我吞咽。如果他提供免费披萨，我们就完了。

"Now come!" he urges. "Join me in ushering in the new age of Rezzoch Above us, below us, the monsters look from Ghazt to Johnny Steve and then back to Ghazt. And then, all at once, they cast their votes... The monsters throw their ballot balls over the sides! The balls tumble into the Victory Geyser's huge, funnel- shaped tub, pinging, ponging, then finally swirling down into the hole at its base. My friends step beside me. The Victory Geyser lights up. A rainbow of pulsing colors as the ballots are counted. BOOM! Another monstrous artillery blast rocks the mall. And another... But despite the explosive assault, no one takes their eyes off the geyser. It counts and counts, and then— DING! A sound like a giant toaster popping. Suddenly, blue light flickers. A sort of hologram appears, projected onto the side of the geyser. It's that TV host, Harvey Cool Hair. "Ohmygosh!" June squeaks. "It's him!" "He's not real!" I say. "But still!"

“来吧！”他催促道。“和我一起开创雷佐克的新时代吧。在我们上面，在我们下面，怪物们从加斯特看向约翰尼·史蒂夫，然后又看向加斯特。” 然后，突然之间，他们投了票…… 怪物们把他们的投票球扔到两边！这些球滚进胜利间歇泉巨大的漏斗形浴盆里，砰砰砰地响着，最后盘旋着落入底部的洞里。 我的朋友们站在我旁边。 胜利间歇泉亮了起来。 随着选票的清点，彩虹般的颜色在跳动。 繁荣!另一场巨大的炮火袭击了商场。 和另一个……但尽管有爆炸袭击，没有人把目光从间歇泉上移开。 数啊数，然后——叮！就像一个巨大的烤面包机发出的声音。 突然，蓝色的灯光闪烁。 一种全息图出现了，投射到间歇泉的一侧。 是那个电视主持人，酷发哈维。 “Ohmygosh !”6月尖叫声。“是他!”“他不是真的！”我说。 “但是!”

Announcing the winner of this year's late teen star. He's hot. He's cool. He is Johnny, Steve. "No!" Evie cries. The change happens instantly—the fastest transfer of power in election history. The electrified defenses surrounding Evie and Ghazt's Food Court fortress spark once, then power down. The gates open with a heavy clang. Evie and Ghazt are in control no longer. The loot— and Drooler—now belongs to Johnny Steve. "We did it!" June shouts. But any triumphant feelings are cut short as Ghazt leaps off the Food Court, over the Victory Geyser, and lands nearly on top of me. His hide is heaving and his eyes are alight with fury as he stalks toward me. "I should have killed you for

宣布今年已故青少年明星的获奖名单。 他是热的。他很酷。他叫约翰尼，史蒂夫。 “不!”艾维哭。这种变化瞬间发生——这是选举史上最快的权力交接。 围绕着伊维和加兹的美食广场堡垒的电力防御系统会触发一次，然后就会关闭。 大门砰的一声开了。 伊薇和加斯特已经不再控制局面了。 战利品和流口水现在属于约翰尼·史蒂夫。 “我们成功了！”6月大喊。但任何胜利的感觉都被打断了，因为Ghazt从美食广场跳下来，越过胜利间歇泉，几乎落在我的头顶上。 当他向我走来的时候，他的皮在起伏，他的眼睛因愤怒而发光。 “我应该杀了你。

real," he snarls. "I still can..." "And that power can still power. The power to command a skeleton army and that power can still be yours," Evie says softly —almost timidly. "You just need to take it... Take it from Thrull." Ghazt looks around: at the hundreds of monsters who did not vote for him, at the Slicer in my Cosmic Hand, and at the three zombies I control. Then he hits me. But it's only his shoulder, slamming into mine as he smashes past me, pushing through the sea of monsters. He lashes out with his rat paw, slicing a huge "Vote for Ghazt" banner in two. The torn pieces drift to the floor. Evie and I hold a long look, then she follows him. "OK," Johnny Steve says. "Now, as your mayor—"

真的，”他咆哮道。“我还能……” 这种力量仍然可以发挥作用。 指挥骷髅军团的力量仍然是你的，”伊薇轻声说道——几乎是胆怯地说。 “你只需要接受它…… 听瑟鲁的话吧。”Ghazt环顾四周：看了看那些没有投票给他的怪物，看了看我宇宙之手的切片机，看了看我控制的三个僵尸。 然后他打我。但那只是他的肩膀，当他从我身边冲过，穿过怪物的海洋时，他撞到了我的肩膀。 他用他的鼠爪猛击，把一个巨大的“为Ghazt投票”的横幅切成两半。 撕碎的碎片飘到了地板上。 伊薇和我看了很久，然后她跟着他。 “好吧，”约翰尼·史蒂夫说。“现在，作为你们的市长——”

Thrull's voice booms from beyond the walls of the mall. "Do we agree on terms? Will you serve me, and live to see Rezzoch come to this land?" Johnny Steve quickly wades through the monsters— his electorate, his voters, the community he is now responsible for. We follow him to a large outdoor terrace, overlooking the train graveyard behind. He peeks his head out and shouts, "NO DEAL, THRULL!" The monsters cheer. "I'm sorry! I don't think I heard you!" Thrull's voice booms. "He didn't expect that, did he?" Johnny Steve says, raising his arms in a V for victory. "NO, I AM SERIOUS! I CANNOT HEAR YOU AT THIS DISTANCE!" Thrull says. Oh. "Try this," June says, tossing Johnny Steve a Rockin' Ruby's karaoke boom box. He flips the on switch, then once more—

Thrull的声音从商场的墙外传来。 “我们的条件一致吗？”你愿意服事我，活着看见利琐来到这地吗？”约翰尼·史蒂夫（Johnny Steve）迅速涉水穿过怪物——他的选民，他的选民，他现在负责的社区。 我们跟着他来到一个巨大的户外露台，可以俯瞰后面的火车墓地。 他探出头喊道：“不成交，THRULL!”怪物们欢呼起来。 “我很抱歉!我想我没听见！”斯拉尔的声音轰隆作响。 “他没有想到这一点，是吗？”约翰尼·史蒂夫说着，举起双臂，摆出V字，代表胜利。 “不，我是认真的！”这么远，我听不见你说什么！”Thrull说。 哦。“试试这个，”琼说着，扔给约翰尼·史蒂夫一个Rockin' Ruby的卡拉ok音箱。 他拨动开关，然后再一次