Big Mek

"All right, then I'll give you ten days. In ten days, I want to see mushroom fields that can grow Boyz." Of course, Cheng Mingrui wasn't going to just issue orders and dump all the pressure on his subordinates. That was workplace manipulation.

He was eager to see Clever Git actually work a miracle, so he put half his Gretchin and some of his Boyz under his command. There really weren't any Snotlings. Who would bring stupid Snotlings aboard a boarding craft for space battles? Even if a few had come aboard by accident, they would have died along the way.

After Clever Git left with a teeming mob of Ork Boyz, Cheng Mingrui had his own work to do.

One Gork drill wasn't enough. They needed to dig for minerals as well as water, to build new weapons, new armour, and new ships. Especially new ships-if he couldn't make it on Euronia 4, he could still sneak over to Euronia 3.

Crouching down, Cheng Mingrui felt around the muddy spring's opening, scooped up a handful of silt, and rubbed it between his fingers. It was pretty cool.

The water flow wasn't great, but they could keep digging and widen the opening, turning it into a simple, damp spore cultivation site. Some fungi preferred shade. More research and more practice couldn't hurt.

He would give it a try first. Coming from that mysterious great nation in the East, Cheng Mingrui had an obsession with farming etched into his soul.

After assigning the idea to his Boyz, Cheng Mingrui returned to his Mekboy factory. Calling it a factory was generous; it was really only a small workshop. The machine tools, welding torches, and mechanical-arm processing equipment were all fairly small, capable of making only compact mechanical creations.

His attention had been on farming lately, and he hadn't put much energy into technology. The factory had been built by the Mekboys under him, too.

On the large platform in the middle of the factory, several Mekboys were working on a Magnetic Explosion Generator with welding torches and hammers.

"Kidd, how's my equipment coming along?" Cheng Mingrui asked the largest Mekboy on the platform.

The Mekboy named Kidd didn't answer Cheng Mingrui right away. Instead, he gave the component in his hand another couple of hammer blows, then held it up for a close look. Its precision didn't seem to satisfy him.

So he put the component in his mouth and bit it a little, then used his welding torch to draw a portrait of Mork on its surface. There. Now its precision met his requirements.

Only after fitting the component into place did Kidd answer Cheng Mingrui. "Boss, I reckon we still need fifteen days to finish your gear."

"Aren't you just making a few improvements to Cleverhead's electric motor? Why's it taking so long? Are you slacking off, or am I not giving you enough Teef?"

If Cheng Mingrui had been human, he certainly wouldn't have been so harsh on his technical staff. Producing a modified suit of specialised Mekboy powered equipment that could build vehicles and mechs as well as fight, all in fifteen days, would have been nothing short of a miracle.

That was only a miracle by human standards. After spending so much time with the Orks, Cheng Mingrui knew all too well just how talented these Mekboys were.

Every Mekboy came with a design system built into his head. Once inspiration struck through Ork Knowledge, he could produce a blueprint in a second. Their wrenches and hammers rivalled the most precise machine tools, and an extremely high proportion of their components came out flawless.

Finally, every Mekboy had exceptional eyesight. Cheng Mingrui estimated that they could inspect components with nanometre-level precision. It was practically cheating-they could make chips by hand!

It was precisely that keen eyesight that made Mekboys excellent gunfighters and snipers as well as technical support personnel.

"It ain't about the Teef. This place is too basic, and too small. We're short on minerals, and there's too much wind and sand. I made three circuit boards, and dust ruined one of 'em."

Kidd never stopped working as he spoke, keeping his head down like a model-kit enthusiast who didn't want anyone interrupting his build.

"Uh." Cheng Mingrui couldn't really say anything more. In seven days, he and the Mekboys had put together a Mekboy factory and a Gork drill, along with plenty of digging tools for the Boyz.

If he brought up the schedule again, even Cheng Mingrui would feel like an Ork capitalist.

Sharpening the axe wouldn't delay chopping the wood. He couldn't sit idle either, so he might as well help with the work. Once his equipment was finished, their efficiency at expanding the facilities and building equipment would rise dramatically again.

"Go get some tasty Squigs and hand 'em out to the Mekboys. Don't you sneak a bite, or I'll smash your teeth." Cheng Mingrui snarled the order at his attendant Boy, then pulled the most suitable piece of raw material from a nearby junk pile and began grinding it down to make another Magnetic Explosion Generator.

His design for his Power Armour was as follows: increase the capacity of the generator on its back so that, while supplying greater mechanical power, it could also magnetise three Magnetic Explosion Generators.

Having three Magnetic Explosion Generators would give him much more flexibility. They could unleash lethal arcs of electricity to strike enemies, or use magnetic force to serve as mechanical arms, moving materials and making components.

With the addition of the Orks' mysterious technology, the Magnetic Explosion Generators could also produce powerful magnetic fields to create a defensive Force Field.

Of course, the Krakka Teleporter's function remained, and its performance had been improved as well. It could now teleport more than a dozen Orks at once instead of just one.

Making things was addictive. The more time Cheng Mingrui spent with the contents of the junk pile, the more hooked he became, and the mechanical talent in his blood began awakening to a higher level.

Watching broken parts turn into exquisite mechanical creations in his hands, roaring with surging power, felt like driving a luxury sports car and flooring the accelerator.

Best of all, he had built that sports car himself. It was even more addictive than staying up all night playing games or reading novels. Cheng Mingrui couldn't feel time passing at all.

The other Mekboys were just as absorbed as Cheng Mingrui. Finally, today, the Mekboy's specialised Power Armour was complete.

The Gretchin assistants hauled on chains to hoist the final Magnetic Explosion Generator onto the power pack. Wearing red goggles and holding a finely crafted welding torch, Cheng Mingrui carefully connected their wiring and components.

Perhaps because it was the final step, he was a little nervous. His hand shook, he botched a weld, and he forgot to install a crucial component...

Glancing at the admiring gazes around him, Cheng Mingrui knew he couldn't drop the ball now. An Ork Warboss had to be the strongest, the biggest, the most Waaagh!, the smartest, and the most cunning.

On the surface, Cheng Mingrui nodded calmly. In secret, he activated the Krakka Teleporter. A flash of yellow light appeared, and the crucial component was deftly teleported into its designated position, then screwed firmly into place.

Once everything was done, Cheng Mingrui put on the Mekboy Power Armour he had designed and built himself, under the envious gazes of the assembled Orks. The ritual felt like transforming into an armoured superhero, sending a rush of pleasure through him from head to toe.

"Big Mek!" "Big Mek!" The Mekboys and Gretchin cheered joyfully.