Becoming an Ork Boy

A head burst open like a watermelon right in front of Cheng Mingrui, and the sprayed juice covered his face.

What happened? What was going on? Clueless, Cheng Mingrui's brain crashed on the spot.

Was he not playing Warhammer: Dawn of War in front of his computer? Where was this? Was he hallucinating from playing games for too long?

Yet the sounds of bloody slaughter by his ears were so real, the plasma beneath his feet was both thick and viscous, and the bloody scene all around reminded him of a mowing game called Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.

With a smack, a hand slapped Cheng Mingrui on the head, the collision between the large palm and his bald pate so crisp.

"Are ya stupid, what're ya gapin' at? Go 'elp bash the 'umies!" Following the slap was an angry roar as a huge green monster glared at Cheng Mingrui with small, bloodshot eyes.

That fierce, oversized face and bloody maw scared Cheng Mingrui almost to the point of pissing himself, though somehow it felt like he could not quite piss.

With thick mechanical arms, a generator and various strange electronic tools strapped to his back, and a cybernetic eye installed over one socket, Cheng Mingrui muttered after examining the green monster before him in detail: "An Ork Mekboy?"

Cleverhead the Mekboy had originally wanted to give the dazed boy another smack, but hearing the dazed boy call him a big Mekboy instantly put Cleverhead in a good mood.

Even if 'e was a dull git, 'e 'ad a good eye; 'e, Cleverhead, was gonna be a proper Big Mek, Cleverhead thought with pride.

"Right, you're a smart un, you are; you're as clever as a sneakin' Gretchin. Stick behind me, we're goin' to bash the 'umies." In high spirits, Cleverhead spoke to Cheng Mingrui.

A bunch of sensible Gretchin rushed forward, shoving a Choppa and a pistol into the bewildered Cheng Mingrui's hands, then pushed him right in behind Cleverhead.

On the left was the Big Mek, in the middle was a Rokkit Boy, and on the right was an Ork Killa Kan.

"The Boss says you're kunnin'; kunnin's good, kunnin's proper brilliant! We're goin' to bash the 'umies, we're goin' on a Waaagh!" Among the Gretchin whose heads were half the size of their bodies, an especially lively one jumped onto Cheng Mingrui's shoulder and pointed ahead as he shouted.

That pronunciation of Waaagh seemed to possess a certain magic; Cheng Mingrui, who had just been in a state of utter bewilderment, was instantly infected by an emotion. He could not clearly say what this emotion was-it was one he had never felt in his decades as a human.

This emotion was a kind of happiness, representing battle, fanaticism, and joy; it was the satisfaction of a wish fulfilled, the freedom to do whatever one wanted to do.

Infected by this emotion, an instinctive roar burst from Cheng Mingrui's tusked maw-"Waaagh!!!"

Following the roar, Cheng Mingrui plunged into frantic combat.

Orks were pretty much all like this: some carried Shootas, others held Choppas, and some even went bare-fisted with bricks.

Cheng Mingrui, who had never learned how to hack someone with an axe, naturally knew how to swing this weapon. Right in front of him, a diminutive human wearing ordinary half-plate green iron armor and holding a long rifle became the first casualty beneath this axe.

Beneath a helmet lacking even a faceplate lay the deep despair and terror on that human's face.

Then Cheng Mingrui tried the pistol in his hand. This pistol was extremely huge, featuring not only a thick barrel but also being decorated with a multitude of spikes; it seemingly could even be used as a Warhammer.

Firing consecutive bursts, he blasted the human referred to as a humie before him into a mist of blood. The caliber of this pistol was also far too large, and the recoil was immensely heavy as well.

The Gretchin on Cheng Mingrui's shoulder became extremely excited upon seeing Cheng Mingrui's battle record, shouting out: "Shoota, Shoota! Your Shoota shoots proper straight!"

Shoota? Did he mean this pistol of mine? Cheng Mingrui felt some confusion.

Just as he was confused, his shoulder felt as though it had been scorched. Cheng Mingrui's body jerked sideways, and this shot also jolted him awake, pulling him out of the frenzied state he was just in.

In the distance, a large number of human soldiers surged out from a side passage, a flood of red Lasguns filling the corridor, and quite a few Orks were knocked to the ground.

Sturdy Orks could still fight if they were not hit in vital spots, but a Gretchin hit by a single shot was basically dead or crippled.

"Big un! Get down, get down! Jump over over there!" The Gretchin on his shoulder immediately directed Cheng Mingrui.

Although being bossed around by a little guy made Cheng Mingrui a bit unhappy, he could not deny that the Gretchin was right. Cheng Mingrui leaped forward, executed a roll, and took cover behind a metal wall.

The black metal wall was extremely sturdy, and the red Lasguns struck it like raindrops with zero effect. Yet even if human firepower could not pierce the wall, it was enough to pin down a vast number of Orks.

The battlefield was too cramped; was this a metal corridor? Where on earth were they fighting? Were they inside a metal steel mill, or on a ship?

Just as Cheng Mingrui was pondering his location, he saw a few Gretchin crawling over from behind, and the Gretchin on Cheng Mingrui's shoulder shouted loudly, his voice not drowned out at all by the sounds of explosions and gunfire.

Those Gretchin in the rear were working hard under his direction to haul a Heavy Machine Gun over to Cheng Mingrui!

"Use the Dakka, use the Dakka! Use the Dakka to turn them 'umies into scrap!" The Gretchin yelled at the top of his lungs.

Human firepower was extremely fierce; half the Gretchin died before they finally managed to drag the Heavy Machine Gun over.

The Gretchin wanted Cheng Mingrui to shoulder the Heavy Machine Gun, stick his head out, and exchange fire with the humans, but he was not going to do that. Who knew if what he was experiencing was a hallucination, a transmigration, or a dream? What if dying meant he actually died?

The Gretchin grew anxious, grabbing Cheng Mingrui's arm and shaking it as he tried to pull him up to fire, while the crowd of Gretchin gathered around also looked at him in eager anticipation.

"What's your name?" To distract the crowd of Gretchin, Cheng Mingrui asked the one on his shoulder.

"Me name's Clever Git! I'm the cleverest un in the whole mob o' Gretchin, so Cleverhead Boss calls me that." Clever Git answered proudly.

"Alright, Clever Git, listen to me. We don't have to take risks. The Big Mek is extremely powerful; as long as the Big Mek is here, he can quickly wipe out this bunch of humies." Cheng Mingrui wanted to persuade Clever Git and the flock of Gretchin to wait here for the Mekboy's support with him; he had not yet grown accustomed to the Ork accent.

However, it was clear that Clever Git misunderstood. Raising his volume several decibels, he roared: "The kunnin' big un's braggin'! 'E wants to be a Big Mek, the kunnin' big un wants to be a Big Mek! A Big Mek needs Big Booms and Big Dakka! You ain't got no Big Boom and no Big Dakka!"

His voice seemed to remind the concealed Gretchin and Ork Boyz nearby. They successively tossed aside their Melee Weapons and began calling out to more Gretchin and Snotlings to send over Shootas and explosive items.

Soon, and very fast at that, a pack of Squigs strapped with explosives rushed toward the human lines amidst a rain of Lasgun fire. A few thunderous booms rang out, and the human lines suffered heavy damage.

Squigs were shapeshifters and biological kin to the Orks-small ones could serve as hair, while large ones could serve as War Beasts for laying siege to cities.

The suppression from the red Lasgun barrage weakened, and the smoke kicked up by the explosions also severely interfered with fields of fire. That mysterious green energy spread across Cheng Mingrui and all the green monsters.

Soon, Cheng Mingrui's rationality was once again replaced by excitement. He stood up and used the Heavy Machine Gun in his hands to fire upon the human soldiers opposite him, and right before his rationality vanished, he heard only a single massive Waaagh echo through the entire corridor.