The mushroom fields

Big Mek? Cheng Mingrui did not think his skills had reached that level. He might still have been a little behind Cleverhead.

But the Orks saw it differently. They thought Cheng Mingrui had built more impressive Power Armour than Cleverhead and put it on, so Cheng Mingrui was stronger, more Waaagh!, and therefore better than Cleverhead. That made him a Big Mek.

Fighting was one way for Orks to grow stronger. Doing things that earned the recognition of other Orks was another.

Green Waaagh! energy gathered around Cheng Mingrui. He could feel countless pieces of complex, obscure knowledge surfacing in his mind again. He even saw a green ball of light, which sent a beam shining onto him.

The Ork genes within Cheng Mingrui were mutating, evolving. More of the secrets buried in his genome were awakening.

"Waaagh!!" Cheng Mingrui could not help letting out a frenzied roar.

"Waaagh!!!" The green monsters caught his frenzy and roared along with him.

Growing stronger felt incredible. Cheng Mingrui felt clear and invigorated from head to toe, as though he had undergone the cleansing of flesh and marrow described in cultivation stories.

"Sneaky Boss! Sneaky Boss!!" A familiar voice reached Cheng Mingrui's ears.

He looked toward the voice and saw Clever Git, also clad in iron armour, squeezing through the crowd of Gretchin.

"Clever Git, why aren't you tending the Mushroom Farm? What are you doing hanging around here? I didn't give you that much time!" Cheng Mingrui was a little angry.

"Boss... I already did what you asked. The Mushroom Farm has already grown Squigs and Gretchin. In another couple of days, healthy Boyz will crawl out of the ground too," Clever Git said, sounding aggrieved.

"So soon... It's only been a few days. You're not lying to me, are you?" Cheng Mingrui did not believe him. Clever Git was full of tricks. Perhaps he had just found a few Gretchin and Squigs Cheng Mingrui did not know and brought them over to pass off as new ones.

"Boss! How could you sully my good name like that! No matter how shameless I am, no matter how many lies I tell, I've never lied to you!" Clever Git's Gretchin face filled with grief and indignation, as though he had suffered some terrible injustice.

Honestly, if Cheng Mingrui had not often seen Clever Git swindling other Gretchin out of their teeth, he would have believed him.

Cheng Mingrui picked Clever Git up and shook him. Sure enough, a bulging bag of teeth fell out. He casually tossed it to the Mekboys behind him.

"Kidd, this is some extra pay from me. Take the Boyz and treat yourselves. Get some rest. Later, we'll be building more stuff-bigger stuff, and stuff with more kick."

With that, Cheng Mingrui walked off carrying Clever Git. He intended to visit the Mushroom Farm and find out whether Clever Git was lying to him.

"What? Half a month has already passed!" Only while talking to Clever Git on the way did Cheng Mingrui realize how much time had gone by.

He had become so absorbed in building his Power Armour that he had lost track of time. As inspiration kept flooding his mind during construction, he had added plenty of extra projects, continuing to make the Power Armour sturdier and more practical.

As a result, he had spent even longer on it and completely forgotten to check Clever Git's progress. If Clever Git had not come looking for him, he would have thought only a week or so had passed.

When they reached the Mushroom Farm, Cheng Mingrui was stunned by the sight before him. The once-struggling Mushroom Farm was flourishing, and its area had doubled. Lush green fungal mats covered the barren soil, presenting a picture of thriving growth.

Some mushrooms were taller than houses, while others did not even reach his ankles. Numerous little Snotlings ran, played, and slept in the mushroom forest, like something out of a fairy-tale paradise.

"Look, look! Sneaky Boss, I took good care of the Mushroom Farm!" Clever Git hopped around excitedly, the iron plates on his body clattering.

While Cheng Mingrui was still reeling in astonishment, the ground beside him trembled. A pair of green hands broke through the soil, followed by a shiny green bald head.

The first new Ork Boy on Euronia 4 had been born.

"How did you do it! How is this possible? This whole patch was nothing but barren dirt and rocks, and it's only been a few days!" Cheng Mingrui lifted Clever Git until they were at eye level.

"It's the Snotlings. Snotlings are good at growing the Mushroom Farm. Put me down, Boss, and I'll show you," Clever Git said smugly.

Cheng Mingrui nodded, set Clever Git down, and followed him deeper into the mushroom forest. Clever Git searched for something as he led the way. Before long, he found a poorly developed mushroom.

"Boss, ones like this won't grow big. They won't grow Boyz or Squigs either." As he explained, Clever Git slit the mushroom's stalk with a dagger, reached inside, and dug out a Snotling that had not yet fully developed.

"Then you do this." Clever Git chopped down the sickly mushroom, tore its mycelium into strips, and placed them in the inner chamber where the Snotling had been growing.

The slime inside the chamber soon dissolved the mycelium. Clever Git then poured the slime into the Snotling's mouth. After drinking half of it, the Snotling opened its eyes and came to life.

The stupid Snotling had no idea what was going on. At the sight of the towering Cheng Mingrui with his huge, gaping maw, it screamed and ran away.

Clever Git ignored the Snotling and said, "Snotlings are all idiots. Fools. Not much use, but they're great at growing mushrooms. Even this stuff is great."

With that, Clever Git poured the remaining slime onto the ground. The fungal mat quickly absorbed it. Cheng Mingrui's eyes widened. Those eyes, capable of spotting discrepancies in mechanical parts, noticed much more.

The slime was an extremely nutrient-rich substance that could greatly accelerate fungal development in the mat. The secrets behind it were nowhere near as simple as Clever Git made them sound.

With a serious expression, Cheng Mingrui crouched down. Using the Magnetic Explosion Generator on his back, he stripped off Clever Git's armour and fashioned it into containers, then collected all the samples he thought he needed.

His desire to research had been awakened. The more knowledge he possessed, the greater his interest in new knowledge became.

Without even a pair of underpants left, Clever Git stood miserably to one side with his arms crossed. On this outing, Cheng Mingrui had taken both his teeth and his equipment. He felt wronged, but what could he do? Cheng Mingrui was the boss. If he did not want to die, he had to obey.

When Cheng Mingrui left, Clever Git followed shakily behind him.

"You did a very good job this time. I'll reward you. That shabby armour of yours was no good anyway. Don't copy those Ardboys who think of nothing but charging in. I'll build you a suit of Power Armour made specifically for a Gretchin." Walking ahead, Cheng Mingrui spoke in an ordinary tone without turning around.

"Heh heh heh." Hearing that, Clever Git laughed happily.