Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 774 Zoe's Bizarre Adventure

Theoretically speaking, a world bombed by a virus would only turn into a rotting swamp of organic matter.

After the entire ecosystem decomposes, it turns into combustible gas. Once ignited, it will create a planetary-scale firestorm, which will incinerate all the viruses and life on the planet.

However, for psionic creatures like the green-skinned orcs, who are completely unconventional, even viral bombs can only temporarily suppress their reproduction.

Furthermore, based on existing usage records, the same virus bomb cannot have a significant impact on the green-skinned orcs a second time.

Their amazing genome can develop strong resistance to viral contamination in a very short time.

But for humans, this brief window of opportunity is precious enough.

The orbital drop capsules deployed by humans encountered almost no resistance.

The orc lads in the defensive turrets had turned into a pile of mud and were no longer able to operate the powerful anti-aircraft weapons to fight back.

The orbital drop capsules fell like meteors, crashing into the rock layers that had been mostly burned of organic matter and had become extremely brittle under the extreme heat.

If it weren't for the thrust reversers, these drop pods could have penetrated the rock layer and crashed into the Earth's crust.

The average air temperature on the surface of Skullshattered Star is over 150 degrees Celsius, making it a veritable hell on earth.

As the drop pod's door slammed down onto the ground, the Ash Claws and the Midnight Lords' Astartes immediately felt a wave of heat wash over them.

The power armor's servo system was functioning normally, and the cooling module kept the temperature inside the power armor at the optimal level for Astartes survival.

The Astartes that Sigismund sent to Skullshatter were all extremely skilled at hiding, infiltration, and infiltration.

He understood that until the orc warlords on this planet were found, no matter how fiercely the attacks were launched against the orcs, it would only be a temporary solution.

Just as when clearing weeds, only the surface branches and leaves are cut off, while the roots and stems in the soil are ignored, the result is that the weeds cannot be burned out and will grow back in the spring breeze.

The Black Knight's goal was to have these Astartes lie in wait on Skullshatterer and investigate the situation there, capturing even the slightest clues about the orc leader.

Long before the devastating orbital strike, the orc warlord had ordered his men to seal all the exits of the underground fortress.

The infiltrators, who were dropped onto the planet, used various means to enter the sealed-off crypts and infiltrate the incredibly complex underground passages of the green-skinned orcs.

Protected by a more concentrated waaagh energy field, they can safely weather the moment of destruction and resume their rampant reproduction when the time is right.

Although the orcs on the surface were almost all killed or wounded, the orcs underground still stubbornly survived.

Although the lack of sunlight made these underground green-skinned orcs appear somewhat listless.

But they soon discovered that the light emitted by the radioactive reactor could also provide them with energy.

So, the farts buried countless green spores in the soil next to one nuclear reactor after another, which in turn gave birth to a group of strange green-skinned orcs emitting a greenish nuclear radiation.

"I really want to bask in the sun, not these shiny reactors, but the fresh, sweet sunlight."

“We’ve been hiding underground for a long time. Those bastards are really ruthless. They burned everything we’ve worked so hard to build to ashes.”

"These barbaric destroyers have no idea how hard it was for us to build this place."

The green-skinned boys chattered amongst themselves, complaining about their dissatisfaction with the current situation.

Another, more mature-looking green-skinned boy picked his nose, from which popped out an unidentified object, and said lazily.

“Those shrimps are afraid of us, afraid of the great green tide, which is why they have done this to us.”

"We must strive to survive and show those bastards what happens when they anger the green-skinned ones!"

The orc boys were exchanging barbs, looking listless from not having basked in the sun long enough.

"That's strange, I feel like there's something hidden in that dark place."

Do you feel this way too?

A green-skinned boy rubbed his eyes in confusion and said to his companion beside him.

"Are you starving? Don't worry, we've sealed off the underground fortress, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Could those humans take this opportunity to slip down and infiltrate our underground base to spy on us?"

"You're such a coward! Don't even mention that you grew up in the same field as us, you're a disgrace!"

The green-skinned orcs immediately burst into malicious laughter, and the green-skinned orc who had raised the question immediately scurried away in shame to a corner, ignoring his annoying companions.

In the dark burrows of the green-skinned orcs, Zoe, the new chapter leader of the Ash Claws, broke out in a cold sweat.

He never expected that his infiltration operation, which used Shadowstep to conceal his presence, would be discovered by a green-skinned orc.

No matter how ingenious the concealment methods are, they seem less secure in the face of these clever green-skinned orcs.

Because their methods of invisibility require skill and understanding of principles, but the orcs' ability to think is completely illogical.

Fortunately, they didn't seem entirely certain of his existence either; otherwise, he would have been exposed as soon as they started searching.

Zoe didn't want to end her infiltration mission so easily; it would be too embarrassing, and she wouldn't know how to explain it to the Black Knight.

Not only were the Ash Claws wiped out by the Greenskin Orcs, but they've also failed at a simple reconnaissance mission. So what's the point of having them?
Zoe observed the underground world belonging to the green-skinned orcs through her tactical goggles.

Green-skinned orcs are born with the ability to dig burrows; they have replicated almost everything they need underground.

They built a mushroom cultivation base, which, combined with the light from the nuclear reactor, allowed them to continue breeding new green-skinned orcs.

They moved the weapons foundry underground as well, so the mechanics could still continue to forge weapons and equipment for the greenskins.

"They hollowed out the entire Skullshattering Planet. We bombed the surface with orbital bombs and dropped viral bombs, killing only the green-skinned orcs on the surface and in the shallow underground."

"These green plagues are far more tenacious and resilient than we imagined."

Zoe moved swiftly through the underground tunnels dug by the green-skinned orcs.

He wasn't just wandering around blindfolded; the reconnaissance system inside the power armor could automatically detect the surrounding WAAAGH energy concentration, thus providing the user with some guidance.

Generally speaking, the more concentrated the waaagh energy, the greater the number and quality of green-skinned orcs, and the higher the probability of an orc leader appearing.

Zoe's power armor can also automatically record the routes she travels and use big data modeling to create holographic maps for navigation in the servo system.

The number of green-skinned orcs in each underground base, their clan distribution, the layout of heavy industrial facilities, and so on, were all compiled and collected.

Other lurking Astartes are also investigating the complex passageways here, their data being networked and overlapped to generate a more complete map.

"Besides finding that damned greenskin warlord, our secondary mission is to locate the exact position of the Waaagh Gate on Skullcrusher. Destroying the Waaagh Gate is just as important as killing the orc warlord."

If feasible, perhaps we should also steal a Waaagh portal sample from the green-skinned orcs and give it to the priests of the Cult of Mechanics to research methods that can target and interfere with their portals.

Zoe thought to herself, silently reviewing her mission.

The green-skinned orcs' Waaagh Gate is a major problem that is extremely troublesome for humanity.

Orcs can expand their forces through means other than self-reproduction. As long as the Waaagh gate exists, the Greenskins in the rear can be directly deployed to the front-line battlefield.

The Astartes' infiltration missions were exceptionally tedious and tedious. They had to gather every minute detail of intelligence while also carefully concealing their tracks to avoid being discovered by the green-skinned orcs.

If anyone is discovered, it will immediately alert the Greenskins, causing the infiltration mission to fail.

This infiltration mission held extremely special significance for Zoe.

He could temporarily set aside his deep-seated hatred for the green-skinned orcs and observe these transformed green-skinned orcs in a truly objective way.

After observing for a period of time, Zoe was surprised to find that these green-skinned orcs were more civilized and advanced than he had imagined.

He patiently recorded his findings; no human had ever observed or studied the green-skinned orcs with such meticulous detail.

"The green-skinned orcs seem to engage in some kind of compulsive social activity."

"Is this one of their unique rituals?"

Although the Orks appeared somewhat listless due to their long stay underground and lack of exposure to starlight.

But as soon as some green-skinned boys with pens and notebooks appear, they immediately rouse themselves.

These green-skinned boys all wore unique uniforms, which appeared to be woven from the fibers of some kind of fungus or mushroom, in order to distinguish them from the other green-skinned boys who wore miscellaneous armor and clothing.

They distinguished themselves using special fonts and markings, which is clearly a sign of class distinction in civilized society.

Under the watchful eyes of these overseer green boys, those green boys who were slacking off and taking a break had no choice but to roar and fight amongst themselves.

This is not a drill at all, but a real, brutal fight. They will even use their big cleavers and big guns to directly attack their own kind.

Every time the orcs fought, the ground was left in a mess, with green blood flowing everywhere.

"These green-skinned orcs are killing each other?"

"Why? They're not fighting for food or a mate."

Zoe was somewhat shocked by her discovery, because she simply couldn't understand what these aliens were doing.

But he soon realized how foolish he had been to judge the green-skinned orcs using human standards.

Apart from a few unlucky ones who were killed outright, the green-skinned orcs who were injured or even crippled in the fierce battle were noticeably larger after the fight.

Only battles can stimulate the growth and development of the green-skinned orcs, making them even more waaagh!

A prolonged lack of combat can cause green-skinned orcs to shrink in size, become listless, and even die of depression.

After the battle, Zoe observed that a special mad doctor boy began to appear and treat the wounded green-skinned orcs.

Their methods of healing made even this battle-hardened veteran's scalp tingle.

Those seemingly unreliable mad doctors used various metal pieces, nails, and cables to directly sew up the wounds of the injured.

As for those who lost hands or feet, the large fists and cleavers were simply welded to their bones.

There were even two orcs who were only half-bodied, who were sewn together by the Mad Doctor Boy, becoming a strange green-skinned creature with two heads.

Even dead green-skinned orcs, under the Mad Doctor Boy's high-voltage electric shock treatment, have a high probability of being electrocuted until their bodies are smoking, and then miraculously come back to life.

"Those bio-sages of the Mechanic Church would probably be furious if they saw this."

"This kind of barbaric treatment is worse than death."

"These green-skinned orcs are training their troops, stimulating the boys' development through continuous combat."

Zoe thought he was already shocked enough, but when he saw a gaudy green propaganda team appear, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.

These green-skinned propaganda teams would tour and perform in various orc underground bases every now and then.

They carried huge, twisted orc totem banners, and some orcs even carried megaphones, constantly babbling in the ears of the green-skinned boys.

Zoe cannot understand the language of the green-skinned orcs, but her power armor can collect language data and perform deductions and translations.

"WAAAGH!!! Listen up, you green scum!"
We are the hardest green tide, blasted out of the Spore Sea! We are the genuine seeds that Mao Zedong extracted with an anvil and a lightning hammer!

"We're awesome! We're amazing! We're the coolest guys in the galaxy!"

The green-skinned propaganda team began beating drums and waving flags to support the demonstration.

Various strange and unusual musical instruments emitted unimaginable noises, enough to shatter a mortal's eardrums.

But it was precisely these things that made the somewhat listless and tired green-skinned boys' eyes light up and they perked up again.

They absolutely loved the noisy, energetic performance; it was so much more fun than those boring shows.

The green-skinned orc who was speaking suddenly lowered his voice and continued in a chilling tone.

"Hatred flows in our blood. Whether they are metal skeletons or human shrimps, anyone who stands in our way will be taught a lesson!"

Hearing this, the green-skinned boys gritted their teeth, wishing they could devour their green-skinned enemies on the spot.

Behind the green-skinned speaker, the Bone Bugle sounded, and the atmosphere became joyful and enthusiastic once again.

"The sun is green today! The wind carries the rusty scent of machetes!"
I see the shrimp in the south trembling! The tin cans in the north are peeling! Every tooth is itching! Every tendon is screaming!
This is the revelation that Mao Zedong gave us!

"Follow my WAAAGH! Surf! Crush those whining bones!"

Use their fortresses as stepping stones for us! Use their screams as our songs! The survivors will drink double the fungal wine! The fallen will be reborn in spores!

"Tell me—do you want to be a mushroom-eating fart sprite? Or a green lightning bolt tearing through the galaxy? WAAAGH!!!"

All the instruments of the Greenskin propaganda team began to play, encouraging the Greenskin orcs, praising the bravery of the boys, and stimulating them to evolve upwards with all sorts of highly inflammatory language.

After each speech and performance by these green-skinned propaganda teams, among the tens of thousands of green-skinned kids watching, there are always a few exceptionally outstanding ones who have completed their transformation from kids to big guys.

They listened with their blood pumping, and even their waaagh energy surged.

Zoe looked at these sights and was speechless. Even with the widespread adoption of Prototype Space Marine technology, it would still take the Empire a considerable amount of time to manufacture Prototype Astartes, far slower than the Orks.

"With such terrifying weapons of war, it won't take long for them to assemble another army of greenskins."

"Through mutual fighting and combat, coupled with the encouragement and praise of the propaganda team, they were able to continuously drive the transformation of the green-skinned orcs."

Next, Zoe saw the green-skinned boys with paper and pens recording the transformation process, seemingly doing data statistics and summarizing.

When they reported the data, those with outstanding data were rewarded by their superiors, while those with poor data were severely reprimanded.

And when these green-skinned orcs started distributing teeth as rewards, those orcs who didn't meet the performance targets obviously received far less than the other orcs, and they all looked as gloomy as if their toes had been stepped on.

"By the Emperor, I see traces of civilization in these green-skinned orcs."

"They are no longer beasts, no longer monsters that only know destruction, but a civilization with its own system and rules."

This is clearly not good news for humanity.

Zoe and her fellow fighters, tasked with infiltrating, are penetrating deeper and deeper into the orcs' underworld.

They discovered that the orc foundries seemed more standardized and procedural than those they had seen before.

Every day, a large number of green-skinned boys hand over the garbage and waste they have collected according to the quota, and they will receive the rewards they deserve from the technician boys.

In Zoe's view, these green-skinned orcs clearly possessed more "human" characteristics.

They are learning from humanity, from systems and rules to the smallest details, leaving nothing out.

"We've found human instructors for you. Study hard and practice well. Anyone who dares to slack off will be the first to be chopped up and fed to the Skull!"

"Next, please welcome the human instructors."

As Zoe continued his infiltration, he spotted humans in one of the green-skinned military bases.

They were not human slaves kept as food reserves, but human soldiers still wearing military uniforms, their wounds bandaged and treated.

Zoe immediately stopped in his tracks. He crouched down, hiding on a huge energy pipe, and peered down at the situation below through an extended observation opening.

He knew that the green-skinned orcs would store humans as food, which was the most common fate for humans who fell into the hands of the aliens.

In fact, being eaten would be a good ending.

Some aliens even conduct extremely vicious biological experiments on human captives, or torture them in every possible way.

Death is often a form of mercy.

This is the truth of this dark universe: the weak will never have a good ending; they will either devour others or be devoured by others.

There were eight humans brought out by the green-skinned orcs, all of whom were strong and muscular men over 1.9 meters tall.

The human instructors wore headscarves stained with blood on their foreheads.

Their exposed, muscular arms were adorned with menacing tattoos, and Zoe's tactical goggles magnified the image, clearly revealing some terrifying monster patterns.

These humans had few weapons, only a short knife in their hands.

The green-skinned orcs stared intently at these burly little guys. Even though they couldn't understand each other's language, they could still tell from their imposing presence that the other side was not to be trifled with.

These are tough opponents, the greens thought to themselves.

"These people are... the Katachan jungle warriors?"

Suddenly, some extremely ancient memories surfaced in Zoe's mind. Back during the Great Crusade, he had fought alongside an auxiliary force composed of the Katachans.

These mortals were the most fierce and valiant mortal auxiliary troops Zoe had ever seen.

Their individual combat capabilities could even cause Astartes considerable trouble in the jungle terrain.

The human captives below look remarkably similar to the Katachán people.

In fact, Zoe's guess was correct.

Katachon is a very special conscription world within the Empire, lacking mineral resources and any special products.

The vast majority of the tithes they paid came from seasoned, experienced jungle veterans.

They left their dangerous and alluring homeland and were dispatched to a world in the northern part of the Extreme Starfield to carry out a mission.

However, the roaming orc pirates severely damaged the human defense forces and captured these seemingly formidable Katachon jungle warriors.

Rambo was one of them. He and his Katachon squad survived the arduous battle against the orcs, but could not change their fate of being forcibly captured and taken away.

He originally thought he would be eaten alive by the orcs, just like the old, weak, women and children.

Or they might be exhausted in the orcs' foundry, only to be thrown into their breeding grounds and buried alive as fertilizer.

But strangely enough, these green-skinned orcs treated them with far more courtesy and...civility than they had imagined.

They received nutritious human food, and even captured human doctors to bandage and treat the wounds of these valiant warriors.

Life here is so pleasant that Rambo can't tell if he's still dreaming.

He also planned to use his Katachon tusks to drag a few unfortunate souls down to hell with him when those green-skinned orcs executed him.

However, since the green-skinned orcs were treating them well, Rambo didn't rashly choose to launch a counterattack.

It's better to live on and see what these hybrid aliens are up to than to die in vain.

They were confined to their rooms until the green-skinned orcs who could speak High Gothic came and told them it was time to repay the gifts they had received.

"Those green-skinned bastards hope to learn from us how to train special forces."

This includes, but is not limited to, all sorts of ingenious human tactics, all sorts of ancient but effective war strategies, and even our discipline and organization.

"Hehe, if you live long enough, you'll not only see those toads that explode like nuclear weapons with the slightest provocation, but also green-skinned creatures that try to learn human habits."

"I hope that when these green-skinned soldiers call me instructor, I can hold back my laughter."

Rambo scoffed at himself, saying that he had originally intended to mock these beasts and then proudly pledge his loyalty to the Emperor.

But these green-skinned orcs told them that if they were truly sincere in imparting their knowledge and experience, they would let Rambo and his comrades leave and return to the human world.

Rambo wasn't afraid of death; what he feared was dying in vain.

He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the green-skinned orcs, and he hoped to kill even more orcs and die proudly on the battlefield.

“Want to learn our technology and experience?” A wicked thought surged in Rambo’s mind. “Let’s see if they really have the ability.”

He didn't want to die; he wanted to use the most brutal and rigorous training methods to train these green-skinned orcs to death.

He not only had to pass on the hardships he had experienced to the orcs, but also had to increase the difficulty by ten or even a hundred times.

Rambo refused to believe that these orcs could survive such hellish training; killing even one more greenskin would be a huge win.

“Our Bloodaxe Kids are the best, but they lack the most important skill: experience. That’s exactly what you need to fill that gap.”

"You shrimps may be a bit weak physically, but you're very experienced and your skills are amazing."

The green-skinned orc acting as translator spoke in a deep, muffled voice, but his High Gothic was exceptionally standard, without even the accent flaws of some remote planets.

"The Bloodaxe Clan?"

Rambo squinted at the group of muscular orcs standing before him.

They were not like the big, clumsy orcs Rambo had seen before; in terms of size alone, they were quite ordinary among the green-skinned orcs.

However, these Bloodaxe Boys were all quite cold and quiet, lacking the noisy habits typical of orcs.

The Bloodaxe Kids uniformly imitated Rambo and others' outfits, wearing red headscarves on their foreheads and tattoos on their bulging muscles.

Standing in front of Rambo was a green-skinned orc who called himself Yatalon.

His dark green skin, riddled with bullet holes, was covered with bulging tendons. His jawbone resembled the square column shape of an ape, and he spoke with a deep, sexy voice.

He appointed himself colonel, and below him were captains, lieutenants, and political commissars, which seemed to make him not much different from the standard regiment of Katachán.

"I can agree to train you, but you don't have suitable conditions here."

"The most elite special forces can only be trained in harsh environments like Qatar."

Only fresh flowers can be grown in a greenhouse; you can't grow evergreen, towering cypress trees.

Upon hearing Rambo's question, Yataur immediately clapped his hands, and the Bloodaxe Kids led Rambo and the others to a dense jungle in the underground world.

Rambo had no idea how vast this space was, and he certainly didn't feel any difference between this place and the surface of a planet.

A sphere of light, resembling the sun, hung in the sky, radiating intense light and heat.

"This is a beast-made sun that our great tech master spent a lot of effort and time to create."

"You know, many of our guys can only bask in the light of a nuclear reactor, but we specially built this original training ground to train more special forces guys."

Yata proudly announced, showing the results to Rambo and the others.

Rambo was somewhat stunned. Although his reason told him that this was not Katachon, the overwhelming stench and dampness evoked familiar memories.

"Where did you get this Katachon model from, and why did you specifically build this place to look like Katachon?"

Faced with the questions from humans, Yatarou simply smiled and remained silent.

Their intelligence scouts have long since spread throughout the galaxy, providing the orcs of the Ghoul Stars with intelligence from the outside world.

"Don't worry about where we came from, just ask if the environment is suitable."

Rambo didn't answer; he simply led his comrades into the orc version of the jungle training base to test its effectiveness firsthand.

With the sharp fangs of the Katachon in his hand, he swiftly chopped down a strangely shaped tree.

After it fell, Rambo realized that what looked like trees were actually a special kind of fungus.

"It mimics the lobe of the brain, a carnivorous plant on the Catachan that looks like a small tree and can attach its tentacles to the human spine and brain, thereby controlling human actions."

Lambo continued searching for the distinctive features of Catachan that existed in his memory.

After a while, he finally stopped.

"Thorngrass, Venus flytrap, spore tree, Kanak floating debris, jet cactus, Katachon catcher—how the hell did these all get pirated by those green-skinned orcs?!"

"When did our hometown get robbed? And what kind of weird stuff was it?"

Rambo was both annoyed and amused; even natives of Qatar were troubled by these dangerous plants.

The green-skinned orcs actually went to great lengths to cultivate something similar using their fungi.

Furthermore, there are also some scorpion-like Skug behemoths in the jungle that resemble the Katachon demons, with multiple limbs.

When Rambo saw the Skull that looked seven-tenths like the Catachan Barking Toad, he was completely speechless.

Well, they've all made preparations, so they have nothing more to say.

Hopefully, a few of these green-skinned bastards will survive.

The most dangerous thing on Qatarchan is not the barking toads that can release toxins comparable to nuclear explosions, but the most resilient people of Qatarchan.

"Our training is very simple: do everything possible to survive in the Katachan jungle."

"If it were you, you would fight with all your might to survive in this fungal hell and struggle against the jungle that surrounds you."

"Let nature hone and select the warriors; only the most cunning, the most intelligent, and the most resolute warriors will survive."

"You need to learn how to deal with dangerous animals, plants, and even creatures that don't know anything at all."

At the same time, one must learn to conceal oneself, to use coatings to camouflage oneself, to make landmine traps, and to use weapons and firearms…

As Rambo spoke, he used the vines and branches in the Green Hell to create a booby trap right in front of Yatauron.

Its disguise was so perfect that it was completely hidden in the natural background. Even Yataru had to take a second look to see if it really existed.

"Nature is the best teacher. If you are ready, then let's begin."

As Rambo and the others spoke, they vanished in the blink of an eye into the jungle modeled after the one built by Katachon.

Yata Ron was equally determined, commanding his Blood Axe Boys to charge into the fray.

(End of this chapter)