Chapter Summaries

Cheng Mingrui encouraged the new Kuka to embrace his role as Gork and Mork’s Divine Messenger, and Kuka successfully performed Consecration on their statue. Cheng Mingrui then urged Kuka to spread the message that Orks and Gretchins could have mechanical talent before teleporting to the Laboratory to inspect newly connected storage devices.

• Cheng Mingrui told the Orks how the former Kuka had died delivering Gork and Mork’s command during the battle against the C'tan Shard, and how Slick and the other Orks had defeated it.
• Cheng Mingrui urged the new Kuka to believe in himself and pushed him to dance before the statue of Gork and Mork.
• The new Kuka danced and repeated that he could do it until a golden ring of light appeared above the statue, prompting the Orks to cheer.
• Cheng Mingrui told Kuka to tell every Ork and Gretchin that Gork and Mork had given them a talent for mechanical manufacturing.
• Clever Git contacted Cheng Mingrui to report that the Boys had connected all the storage devices, and Cheng Mingrui teleported to the Laboratory to inspect them.

Cheng Mingrui read the records in Sphinx’s laboratory and discovered that the Necron had created grotesque life-forms using Ork, Aeldari, and other species’ cells. He found evidence of Krork genes in the stasis field, then had Clever Git shut off its power, releasing the frozen area and the smell of blood.

• Cheng Mingrui found Clever Git and the Mekboys organized beside Necron storage devices, and Clever Git gave him a cable with the laboratory files sorted.
• Cheng Mingrui read Sphinx’s records and learned that the Necron had tortured living creatures and created composite organisms to study their cells.
• Cheng Mingrui learned that Sphinx had invented spirit-repelling energy, received a C’tan Shard, and founded the Sphinx Dynasty.
• Cheng Mingrui discovered that Ork cells often outperformed other species’ cells and that Sphinx’s experiments had produced bodies with Ork and Aeldari traits.
• Cheng Mingrui found the map of the stasis field, ordered Clever Git to shut off its power, and time resumed inside as the smell of blood emerged.

Cheng Mingrui and the Orks discovered Necron Flayed Ones in the foul-smelling laboratory and fought them as their bullets were redirected by the creatures' dimensional abilities. He sent Clever Git to fetch Rambo, then prepared to face the attackers without worrying about protecting him.

• Cheng Mingrui entered the laboratory with Clever Git and a small group of Orks, where they found grotesque specimens and a revolting mixture of flesh, glass, and metal.
• A Flayed One ambushed Cheng Mingrui with a Black Steel Needle, and he recognized it as a Necron afflicted by the flayer curse.
• More Flayed Ones teleported into the laboratory, and Cheng Mingrui and the Mekboys opened fire on them.
• The Flayed Ones redirected bullets through their dimensional ability, causing the Orks' own barrage to kill or wound several of them.
• Cheng Mingrui ordered Clever Git to fetch only Rambo, then prepared to fight the Flayed Ones without having to protect Clever Git.

Cheng Mingrui and the Mekboys slaughtered the Flayed Ones in the Laboratory, where Cheng Mingrui identified the giant Flayed One as Phaeron Sphinx. He then found an enormous Growth Vat resonating with his waaagh! field and prepared to discover whether it contained a Krork or a lesser Ork.

• Cheng Mingrui used Phase Greatblades and his Force Field Shield to hold off the Flayed Ones while Mekboys fought the ones that got past him.
• Cheng Mingrui cleared Flayed Ones from his back with a magnetic force and crushed them, then continued fighting until the horde was defeated.
• Clever Git, Rambo, and the Kommandos found Cheng Mingrui holding the giant Flayed One, and he mounted its skull on his Boss Rack after identifying it as Phaeron Sphinx.
• Cheng Mingrui ordered Rambo and Clever Git to clean the Laboratory without damaging its equipment, then followed his locator deeper into the facility.
• Cheng Mingrui found a fifty-metre Growth Vat whose waaagh energy resonated with his own and hoped it contained a Krork or another surviving Ork specimen.

Cheng Mingrui was overwhelmed by the painful memories and emotions inside the Growth Vat and nearly fell under Slaanesh’s influence, but Gork and Mork’s familiar voices helped him awaken. He realized the vat contained a Hynth altered with Krork genes and began preparing equipment for his next steps.

• Cheng Mingrui used Machine Deconstruction on the Growth Vat and was submerged by the pain, despair, and hatred contained in its memories.
• While unconscious, Cheng Mingrui experienced the suffering of beings who had lived and died in the laboratory, then heard a Warp voice offering to fulfill his desires.
• Cheng Mingrui resisted the voice after hearing Gork and Mork’s coarse shouts, woke laughing, and reassured Clever Git that he had dreamed of them.
• Cheng Mingrui gave Clever Git a list of equipment and materials to obtain, and Clever Git teleported away to gather them.
• Cheng Mingrui recognized that Slaanesh had nearly seized him through the corrupted Growth Vat and concluded that its contents included a Hynth with Krork genes.

Cheng Mingrui entered the Growth Vat’s corrupted realm to purge Slaanesh’s power, resisting temptations of wealth and authority before confronting a seductive daemon. He struck and rebuked the daemon, which transformed in rage as the battle escalated.

• Cheng Mingrui touched the Growth Vat and entered a kaleidoscopic passage filled with temptations.
• Cheng Mingrui resisted visions of immense wealth and imperial power, breaking the palace illusion with a shout.
• A beautiful woman tried to seduce Cheng Mingrui on behalf of her master, but he punched her and rejected her advances.
• Cheng Mingrui mocked the woman’s reliance on beauty and explained that, as a mushroom person, he had no need to reproduce.
• The woman threatened Cheng Mingrui, then shed her clothes and grew larger as strange limbs emerged from her body.

Cheng Mingrui defeated the Keeper of Secrets in the Consciousness Space with the Emperor’s aid, then returned to the Materium and rushed to save the Hynth. The daemon’s death also reached Losek’s body beneath Cornwall’s palace, where Cornwall witnessed the aftermath.

• The Keeper of Secrets attacked Cheng Mingrui in the Consciousness Space, and he discovered that his human form was far weaker than his Ork body.
• Cheng Mingrui used spiritual energy to create weapons, then realized that his spirit—not the weapons themselves—could wound the daemon.
• The Keeper of Secrets trapped Cheng Mingrui in purple mist, but a golden sword empowered by the Emperor’s response cut through the binding and defeated it.
• Cheng Mingrui returned to the Materium, collected the daemon’s skull, and found the Hynth dying in the Growth Vat.
• Clever Git arrived with equipment and Squigs, and Cheng Mingrui prepared to stabilize the Hynth’s genes.
• In a secret chamber beneath Cornwall’s palace on Number 3, Losek burned in golden flames and vanished as Cornwall watched in fear.

A possessor speaking through Cornwall revived Losek and recovered its fragmented memories, then suspected the mysterious Special Individual was an avatar of the Emperor of Mankind. As the possessor resolved to ensure the Emperor’s plans succeeded, Losek mutilated itself and begged its master for punishment.

• Cornwall obeyed the voice in his mind and used the Divining Mirror to restore Losek’s body and head.
• Losek attacked Cornwall, but its claw passed through him; the possessor then took control of Cornwall’s body and extracted Losek’s memories.
• The possessor learned that the Special Individual was an ancient human soul protected by Gork and Mork, and suspected the Emperor of Mankind had intervened.
• The possessor concluded the Emperor might be using an avatar to avert humanity’s fate and decided his success had to be ensured.
• Losek remembered its failure and cut open its belly, using its blood and entrails to draw symbols while confessing to its master.

'Cornwall' negotiated with the purple-eyed entity and directed Losek to prepare a Warp invasion, while the real Cornwall agreed to tell Losek what he knew. At the front, Kester struggled to hold back the Orks and received devastating casualty figures.

• Losek endured a ritual that summoned a purple eyeball, which melted and then restored him while ordering him to finish the ritual circle and bring its legions through the Warp.
• 'Cornwall' secured the entity's cooperation by offering information and food, then told Losek that his apostle would help him corrupt mortals and open the gates of the Warp.
• After 'Cornwall' disappeared, Losek demanded information from the real Cornwall, who agreed to provide it.
• Kester fought off an Ork assault with the Emperor's Bane and two armored divisions, narrowly preventing a breakthrough.
• An adjutant reported heavy casualties on defensive lines A3-1 and A3-6 to Kester.

Commissar Kester reviewed the Astra Militarum’s heavy casualties and improving supply production on Number 3 before learning that a Tyranid fleet was approaching. He revealed the danger to Hanks and named him as his potential successor, leaving them facing a desperate mission to delay the invasion.

• Kester reviewed the casualty lists and learned from Hanks that Priest Kater’s industrial conversions were progressing well, with supplies exceeding projections by thirty percent.
• An emergency call left Kester gravely shaken, and he wrote Hanks a recommendation to become his successor if he fell in battle.
• Kester explained that the Unbroken Defensive Line had gaps and that the Astra Militarum’s real mission was to slow the Tyranid invasion.
• Kester revealed that more than a thousand Tyranid bio-ships were expected to reach the Euronia System within three months, alarming Hanks.

Kester prepared Hanks to command the coming defense of Euronia, then connected suspicious reports from the front to a possible xenos infiltration. He uncovered xenos in Governor Cornwall’s household and ordered a purge and investigation.

• Kester appointed Hanks as a general, authorized him to order warships to retreat in an emergency, and watched him leave.
• Kester recognized that unusually healthy, loyal troops and other reports suggested something abnormal, so he flew to Glory Bastion to investigate.
• Kester confronted Governor Cornwall with test results confirming Cornwall was human but warning that his niece Trivis might not be.
• A servo-skull identified Trivis and her two maids as xenos; Kester’s guards killed one maid, and Kester cut down the other as it transformed.
• Kester killed Trivis and her infant, ordered the villa purified by fire, and demanded that everyone who had contact with her be examined or executed.

Commissar Kester imposed emergency measures after discovering Gitz infiltration, then returned to the front as a vast, organized Ork force attacked. Iron Claw watched the battle and searched for a way to overcome the Imperium’s Warlord-class Titan.

• Kester declared a state of emergency in Glory Bastion, arrested suspected infiltrators and heretics, and put Hanks in charge of the purge.
• Kester learned that Orks were massing across the southern continent and flew back to the front as their attacks intensified.
• Iron Claw watched the Ork assault from an aircraft, praised Crooked Mouth’s wealth, and began planning how to attack the human defenses.
• Daft spotted the Warlord-class Titan, and Iron Claw focused on finding a way to deal with it.
• The Warlord-class Titan opened fire on the advancing Orks and split the green tide in two.

The Imperium’s Titan and supporting forces routed the Orks, while Iron Claw and Daft tried to escape pursuing human aircraft with disastrous results. Meanwhile, Cheng Mingrui continued treating the Hynth and tried to convince it that life held more than pain.

• The Titan and the Imperium’s armored battlegroup repelled the Orks, and the Warboss Big Iron Hammer died in a final charge.
• Iron Claw asked Daft whether he could destroy the Titan, and Daft agreed after demanding bigger bombs.
• Daft maneuvered their reconnaissance aircraft to fight three human aircraft, jettisoning Iron Claw from the plane in the process.
• Cheng Mingrui fitted a component to the Growth Vat and used psychic encouragement to help the suffering Hynth endure its treatment.
• When the Hynth said it no longer wanted to live, Cheng Mingrui tried to reassure it by explaining that life also brought happiness and Waaagh!.

Cheng Mingrui shared his senses with the Hynth so it could experience the world, but its pain and barrage of questions left him unable to speak. The Orks gathered around the Growth Vat and argued over how to help him, until Kuka quietly approached and touched his knee.

• Cheng Mingrui told the Hynth about his joyful experiences after transmigrating, but the Hynth said it needed to experience those feelings itself.
• Cheng Mingrui linked his senses with the Hynth, and the shared pain nearly made him pass out and slowed his work on the Growth Vat.
• The Hynth rapidly asked Cheng Mingrui questions about the world, overwhelming him while Clever Git worried that Boss Slick was hurt.
• Clever Git summoned Big Mek Kidd, Dio, Painboy Big Blade, Rambo, and Kuka, while deciding not to alert the Heavy Nobs.
• Big Blade, Kidd, Rambo, and Dio proposed conflicting ways to help Cheng Mingrui, and Kidd aimed his Shoota at Dio as Dio prepared explosives.
• Clever Git tried to stop the Orks from arguing, and Kuka walked over to Cheng Mingrui and placed a hand on his knee.

Cheng Mingrui and the Screw Clan slowed the Hynth’s breakdown but discovered its corrupted Krork genes would still kill it. Big Blade proposed stabilizing the fused genes with a versatile substance like squig tendon, giving Cheng Mingrui a possible new approach.

• Kuka contacted Cheng Mingrui, who sent him to find Kidd and keep the work outside going.
• Cheng Mingrui persuaded the Hynth to endure its pain and live so it could meet more characters and learn about Waaagh!.
• Cheng Mingrui, Kidd, Dio, and Clever Git modified the Growth Vat, slowing the Hynth’s breakdown.
• Cheng Mingrui realized the contaminated Krork genes were fusing chaotically and that the Hynth would still die if the fusion continued.
• After the Big Meks reached a dead end, Big Blade suggested stabilizing the fused genes by using something like squig tendon to bind them together.
• Dio objected to Big Blade’s suggestion, and Cheng Mingrui slapped him down as he considered whether the Painboy had found an answer.

Cheng Mingrui and the Orks tried to save the Hynth by filling its Growth Vat with Squig essence, guided by the creature’s fierce desire to live. The vat burst, and the Hynth emerged transformed into a giant, dangerous beast that Cheng Mingrui knocked down with a Big Slap.

• Cheng Mingrui approved Big Blade’s plan to heal the Hynth with Squig essence and sent Clever Git to help gather it.
• Big Blade and Clever Git returned with a jar of milky-white Squig essence, which Big Blade said could make even a runt Squig into a powerful War Beast.
• Cheng Mingrui asked whether the Hynth wanted to live, and the Hynth eagerly said it did despite the pain and uncertainty ahead.
• Cheng Mingrui pumped the Squig essence into the Growth Vat, and the Hynth’s psychic connection with him broke as the vat boiled and fell silent.
• The Growth Vat exploded, and a gigantic scaled creature lunged at Cheng Mingrui; he recognized it as the transformed Hynth and knocked it down with a Big Slap.

Cheng Mingrui battled the Hynth in a destructive duel, then discovered it could speak and enjoyed fighting. The chapter ended with the Hynth demonstrating that it could change its body into an enormous Squig Beast.

• The Hynth charged Cheng Mingrui and sent him crashing through the Laboratory floor, while he told Kidd and Dio not to interfere in his duel.
• Cheng Mingrui and the Hynth traded blows underground for hours as the Greenskins watched through Kidd's gadgets.
• Cheng Mingrui pinned the Hynth and stopped beating it when it appeared to be unconscious, intending to study its genes.
• The Hynth woke and explained that it had attacked because it wanted to play, and that fighting and getting hit made it happy.
• When Cheng Mingrui asked why he could not sense its Waaagh! field, the Hynth transformed into an enormous Squig Beast.

Cheng Mingrui befriended the newly awakened Hynth, who chose the name Hols, and rode him out of the secret Laboratory. After noticing that his body had grown beyond its previous limit, Cheng Mingrui ordered Clever Git to bring a Krakka Teleporter so he could investigate the Krork genes at his Workshop.

• Hynth transformed into many kinds of creatures, then became a mount for Cheng Mingrui to ride.
• Cheng Mingrui asked Hynth about his plans, promised to play with him, and taught him what names were.
• Clever Git caught up with Cheng Mingrui and worried that Hynth would replace him as Boss Slick's flunky.
• Hynth gave himself the name Rock Phillips Pa Kimmesterk Hols, and Cheng Mingrui realized it might relate to the Brainboy inheritance.
• Clever Git noticed Cheng Mingrui had grown larger, prompting Cheng Mingrui to suspect his Krork genes were changing.
• Cheng Mingrui sent Clever Git to fetch Kidd and a Krakka Teleporter, then promised Hols toys and food if he cooperated with experiments.

Cheng Mingrui collected samples from Hols and began experiments to study the Squig’s unusual body and his own growth. Outside the Workshop, Clever Git tempted the obedient Hols with roasted Squig meat until Hols gave in and followed his appetite.

• Cheng Mingrui returned to his Workshop with Hols and stopped Hols from hurting Clever Git during their play.
• Cheng Mingrui collected hundreds of samples from Hols, whose wounds healed rapidly, and discovered he had grown stronger after fighting him.
• Cheng Mingrui divided Hols’s samples for experiments and checked his own improved physical measurements before entering the laboratory.
• Clever Git tried to persuade Hols to leave the Workshop, but Hols stayed put because Boss Slick had told him to be obedient.
• Clever Git lured Hols with roasted Squig meat, and Hols finally ate it and continued devouring the food Clever Git offered.

Cheng Mingrui studied Hols’s unstable, transformative biology and considered searching for the Old Ones, but he left the Workshop to find Hols before he starved. Meanwhile, Ghazgitz opened a major Blood Bowl Squigball match by introducing Boss Copperhead’s popular Waaagh Upheaval Team.

• Cheng Mingrui discovered that Hols could imitate life-forms he understood and catalyze Orks, but Hols’s fragile balance prevented him from growing stronger.
• Cheng Mingrui reflected on the roles of the different Greenskin kinds and wondered whether any Old Ones remained alive, then made finding them a long-term objective.
• Cheng Mingrui hurried from the Workshop to look for Hols and found only scattered bones at the entrance.
• Ghazgitz welcomed the Greenskins to the Super Blood Bowl Squigball stadium and announced the start of the match.
• Ghazgitz introduced Boss Copperhead and the Waaagh Upheaval Team, whose supporters roared in approval.