46 THE ANCIENT SHARK

CHAPTER 46 THE ANCIENT SHARK Bright shafts of light beamed out from the robot's eyes as she swam down through the ocean. She felt the water pressure steadily increasing, but before it became dangerous, the seabed emerged from the gloom. Roz started swimming around and around in an ever- expanding circle. While she swam, she let out bursts of sound—clickety clickety click!—and listened for the echoes. She detected faraway reefs and ridges. Then, after an hour of searching, she heard an echo that was shaped like a shark, and she cautiously swam toward it. Into the light came a rounded snout, a wide mouth full of jagged teeth, a long body with a powerful tail. It was a shark, big and gray and crisscrossed with scars. The shark's eyes were milky white. She was blind, but she had other ways of observing. Her senses of smell and hearing were incredible, and she was accompanied by several small fish who were constantly whispering in her ears.

第四十六章古老的鲨鱼当机器人游过海洋时，她的眼睛里射出明亮的光束。 她感到水压在稳步上升，但在变得危险之前，海底从黑暗中浮出水面。 罗兹开始在一个不断扩大的圈子里游来游去。 当她游泳的时候，她发出阵阵的声音——咔哒咔哒咔哒！听着回声。 她发现了远处的礁石和山脊。 然后，经过一个小时的搜寻，她听到了一个形状像鲨鱼的回声，她小心翼翼地向它游去。 火光中露出一个圆圆的鼻子，一张满是锯齿状牙齿的大嘴，长长的身体和一条有力的尾巴。 那是一条鲨鱼，又大又灰，伤疤纵横交错。 鲨鱼的眼睛是乳白色的。 她是盲人，但她有其他的观察方式。 她的嗅觉和听觉令人难以置信，她身边有几条小鱼，它们经常在她耳边低语。

For such a fearsome-looking creature, the shark had a surprisingly soft voice. "We meet at last, Roz." The robot replied, "How do you know my name?" "Oh, I have eyes and ears all across the north," said the shark. "I've been following your travels with great interest. I know the poison tide came to your island and now you're on a mission to stop it. I know about the creatures you encountered on your voyage. I even know about your journey through the glacier. I'm glad you survived. I wasn't sure you'd make it out." "You know so much about me," said Roz, "but I know nothing about you. Are you the Ancient Shark?" "I've had many names. The Gray Ghost. The Queen of Ice. Recently, the animals have started calling me the Ancient Shark. However, you may call me by my true name: Gurry." "I am honored to meet you, Gurry. I hope it is not rude of me to ask, but how ancient are you?" "I don't know my age," said the shark. "All I have to go by are my memories. I remember wandering the seas as a young pup, following ships as they glided across the surface. Back then, ships were made of wood, and they had white sails that moved with the wind, like clouds. The humans used their ships to hunt whales, and I waited below for scraps." The robot's computer brain retrieved information on the history of whaling, and she calculated the shark's

对于这样一种可怕的生物来说，鲨鱼的声音出奇地柔和。 “我们终于见面了，罗兹。”机器人回答说：“你怎么知道我的名字？”“哦，我在整个北方都有眼睛和耳朵，”鲨鱼说。 “我一直怀着极大的兴趣关注着你的旅行。 我知道毒潮来到了你的岛屿现在你的任务是阻止它。 我知道你在航行中遇到的生物。 我甚至知道你的冰川之旅。 我很高兴你活下来了。我不确定你能不能活下来。” “你很了解我，”罗丝说，“但我对你一无所知。 你是远古鲨鱼吗？”“我有很多名字。 灰色的幽灵。冰雪女王。 最近，动物们开始叫我远古鲨鱼。 不过，你可以叫我的真名：高锐。” “很荣幸见到你，加利。 我希望我这样问不会失礼，你多大年纪了？”“我不知道我的年龄，”鲨鱼说。 “我唯一能依靠的就是我的记忆。 我记得小时候在海上游荡，跟随在水面上滑行的船只。 那时候，船是木头做的，它们有白色的帆，像云一样随风移动。 人类用他们的船来捕鲸，我在下面等着残羹剩饭。” 机器人的计算机大脑检索了有关捕鲸历史的信息，然后她计算了鲨鱼的数据

age to be over five hundred years. Gurry went on. "As time passed, the ships became larger, faster, noisier. They were metal monsters, pushed along by spinning blades. They leaked oil and spewed smoke into the sky. Sea creatures retreated below the thick ice, where it was safe. But the ships grew stronger and the ice grew thinner. Now the ships go where they like. Even worse than the ships, though, is the poison tide. It's taken so many lives, and it spreads farther with each passing moment. The poison tide must be stopped." "If you are as powerful as everyone believes," said Roz, "why have you not tried to stop the poison tide already?" "Because I've been waiting for you," said Gurry. "Throughout the north, animals fear me and respect me and they'll do as I command. I've already sent out a call to action, and armies of ocean animals are gathering as we speak. But there are things that only you can do, Roz. Only you can survive the poison tide. Only you truly know the enemy." "I do not understand." An ugly grin stretched across the shark's face. "Roz, your own kind is to blame. The poison tide is the work of robots."

年龄超过五百岁。 高锐接着说。随着时间的流逝，轮船变得更大、更快、更嘈杂。 它们是金属怪物，由旋转的叶片推动着前进。 他们漏油并向空中喷烟。 海洋生物撤退到厚冰下面，那里是安全的。 但是船越来越结实，冰也越来越薄。 现在船想去哪就去哪。 然而，比船只更糟糕的是毒潮。 它夺走了很多人的生命，而且随着时间的流逝，它的传播范围越来越广。 毒潮必须停止。” “如果你像大家认为的那样强大，”罗兹说，“你为什么还没有尝试阻止毒潮呢？”“因为我一直在等你。”高锐说。 “整个北方的动物都敬畏我，尊敬我，他们会听从我的命令。 我已经发出了行动呼吁，我们说话的同时，海洋动物大军正在集结。 但有些事只有你能做，罗兹。 只有你能在毒潮中幸存。 只有你真正了解敌人。” “我不明白。”鲨鱼脸上露出了丑陋的笑容。 “罗兹，这都怪你的同类。 毒潮是机器人的杰作。”