Chandler scratched his head sheepishly; of course he had heard of the competition. Over the past half-month, whether it was his specialized Mekboyz or the rank-and-file Boyz, they all spoke of nothing but Squig Racing. Even on the door of his private research lab, some Boy had stealthily plastered a race poster.
He had originally intended to order a total ban on this nonsense. However, that day, his personal guard had tremblingly delivered ten massive crates. One portion consisted of five hundred thousand premium teeth offered as tribute from the Hokage Clan; the other portion was a hundred thousand teeth from the various bosses under his command who had bought into the venture. They called it a "gift of filial piety."
Chandler grabbed a handful of teeth to inspect them, and the ban that had been on the tip of his tongue was promptly swallowed back down. Thinking of the glittering teeth in those crates and glancing at the stoic Seth, he finally let out a cold snort.
"From today on, da Boyz on frontline duty take turns goin' to see da races! Anyone caught leavin' dere post durin' work hours gets frowed to da Squigs!" He thought for a moment and added, "Besides, da Boyz 'ave a real soft spot for dat race. If dey love it, let 'em watch. Haha!"
Subsequently, Chandler handed the bulk of Karl-2's command authority over to Seth, charging him with the planet's defense. Seth's gaze toward him was somewhat peculiar, but he accepted the orders nonetheless. Chandler retreated to his lab, cursing as he went, to continue delving into the Mecha Secret Vault, dumping the entire mess of the front lines onto Seth.
When the news reached Hokage Ranch, Yagg breathed a sigh of relief. "Lucked out only loosin' one station. Dem humies are proper crazy!"
Raynor leaned back in his chair, remaining silent. This was an outcome he had anticipated; even if Chandler hadn't intervened, Luna stood no chance. During this period, by using the Waaagh! GP as a pretense to mingle with the various clan leaders, he had uncovered many secrets regarding the Dolido Greenskins.
The waters of Karl-2 were far deeper than he had imagined.
Iron-Claw Chandler was the strongest Warboss under the command of Great-Stomach Ragnar, and a rare Mek-Warboss among the Greenskins. His Boyz were exceptionally well-equipped, possessing seventy percent of the war machinery in the entire Dolido sector. It was common knowledge that Chandler coveted Ragnar's position, making him the biggest thorn in Ragnar's side. However, Chandler was too capable to simply kill.
Because of this, Ragnar had exiled him to the strategic stronghold of Karl-2 but denied him a significant base for expansion. Despite this, Chandler had relied on his own ingenuity to nearly convert all of Karl-2 into a Battle Moon. Growing uneasy, Ragnar had dispatched the unfathomable Great-Foot Seth to monitor Chandler. Nominally a deputy, Seth was actually a blade suspended over Chandler's head.
An ambitious Mek-Boss and a psychic-wielding overseer loyal only to the High Chieftain—the conflict between the two was buried deep. Luna's crushing defeat only solidified Raynor's judgment: a frontal assault on Karl-2 would only lead to a repeat of past failures.
The Greenskin Waaagh! field only grew stronger in the heat of battle. What didn't kill them only made them more powerful. But now, Raynor believed he had found the key to prying Karl-2 open. It wasn't the macro-cannons or lance arrays of the fleet, nor the talons of the Swarm—it was the ambition, suspicion, and internal strife etched into the very marrow of the Greenskins themselves.
A cold glint flashed in Raynor's purple eyes.
The massive construct of Karl-2 had never been as restless as it was at this moment. The thick Waaagh! field was like a boiling pot of fungus stew, tinting the entire space station with a layer of frenzied green light.
On a small satellite station independent of Karl-2, the Mekboyz had forged a massive archway out of steel. At the top of the arch, several imposing characters were written: The First Eye of Gork Rally!
Stretching out from it was an ultra-long track connecting over a dozen space stations. Tens of millions of Greenskins packed the stands lining the track. These "stands" were actually nothing more than piled-up scrap armor plates. Orks stood on each other's shoulders, howling, their crude war cries coalescing into a deafening wall of sound. The air was thick with the lingering stench of sweat, the sour tang of fermented mushrooms, and the distinct musk of Squigs.
Since Karl-2 had been occupied by Greenskins, this was the highest-profile, most momentous event in history. Over two-thirds of the planet's Greenskins had their eyes fixed on this rally.
Behind the starting line, over a hundred contestants had already formed ranks. According to the rules, each established clan on Karl-2 was limited to ten entries. The Bad Moons contestants rode gold-plated heavy Cave Squigs, their mounts welded over with gun barrels and armor plates. The Evil Sunz Boyz all rode bright red Boom Squigs, going in light with eyes reflecting an extreme lust for speed. The Deathskulls' Squigs were laden with "I-fink-dis-works" technological gear cobbled together by Mekboyz, their eyes full of confidence.
Beyond these clan-backed racers, a group of unique participants crowded the very edge of the track: Independent Racers. They had no clan resources or Mekboy support. Having fought their way through the qualifiers to reach the main event, they relied solely on their inherent drive for racing and the teeth and gear provided by fans across Karl-2. Because of this, almost every independent racer was a household name.
Among them was Grot Johnny, standing on the back of a Bouncy Squig and waving frantically at the stands. He was the only Grot standing on the Eye of Gork track.
On the main control platform at the highest point of the starting arch, Raynor looked down at the holographic track map in his hand. As the initiator and organizer of this Eye of Gork Rally, his internal state was far from the calm he projected.
The holographic map clearly displayed the core data of the event. The total track length was 512 kilometers, starting from Station One. It traversed various simulated environments: conventional badlands, canyons, underground caverns, and abandoned human colonies. The terrain was complex enough to make even the most seasoned racer's scalp tingle.
The entire route was divided into over a hundred specialized segments, hiding dozens of optional branching paths. Furthermore, there were multiple "Death Sectors" exclusive to the Eye of Gork: Mushroom Minefields that could send a Squig and its rider into the sky instantly, Asteroid Drifting Zones filled with flying debris, Warp Trips that plunged one into strange hallucinations, and the Mad-Thunder Canyon which saw 24-hour non-stop bombardment.
This had never been a simple contest of speed and combat power. A racer's raw strength, the support capability of the logistics team, and the judgment used in choosing routes were all indispensable.
Most Squigs would suffer muscle strains or physical exhaustion after more than a hundred kilometers of continuous sprinting, leading to a decline in performance. To maintain peak condition over the 512-kilometer course, one needed to prepare at least five relay Squigs. Supply points had to be established along the way, and one had to remain constantly vigilant against ambushes.
After all, this was a Greenskin race. The "rules" were that there were no rules. There was only one criteria for victory: the racer and their Squig had to cross the finish line together. Whether you blew up a rival's Squig mid-race, stole someone else's supplies, or buried the track in landmines—or even vaporized the opponent along with their mount—no one cared.
The audience would only let out their wildest cheers for such "Waaagh!" maneuvers.
In the name of "fairness," Raynor had long ago released the full details of all special track segments and a complete map of the course. He even posted a list of limited-edition special items that would spawn within specific segments. Of course, obtaining this complete set of data required a payment of ten thousand premium big teeth.
To an ordinary Ork, this was an astronomical sum that would take a lifetime to save. But for the contestants eyeing the massive prize pool, it was a negligible investment. The total prize pool for this Eye of Gork Rally had already surpassed a million premium big teeth. As long as one broke into the top eight, they would secure a sum that would make an entire clan green with envy—to say nothing of the unique title of Champion.
For Raynor, however, the prize money was never the point. He had to secure the championship. This was a planet-wide event for Karl-2. If a racer from the Hokage Clan could be the first to cross the finish line, the clan's prestige would see an unprecedented surge across the entire world. Only then could his long-prepared plans be successfully implemented.
According to the rules, the Hokage Clan also possessed ten entry slots, but Raynor had placed nearly all his bets on two individuals: Naruto and Sasuke, known across Karl-2 as the "Hokage Twin Stars." Neither of these Orks were Greenskin Boyz created by Lena.
Naruto, the inaugural champion of the Waaagh! GP, was an established celebrity in the Karl-2 racing scene. His racing style was wild yet seasoned. He was experienced enough to judge a Squig's condition and the terrain of the current segment solely by the sound of its footsteps. He was the undisputed lead racer for the Hokage Clan. At this moment, Naruto sat atop his primary Squig, "Kurama," pumping his fists frantically at the fans in the stands. Every wave of his hand drew mountain-shaking roars of approval.
Beside Naruto, Sasuke seemed entirely out of place. This rising star completely shattered Raynor's preconceived notions of Greenskins. He wasn't excited like the other Orks; he sat quietly on his Squig, "Chidori." He stared down at a miniature holographic map on his wrist, his fingers flickering across the projection as he calculated optimal routes over and over. He was like a machine—cold, meticulous, and adept at using data to deconstruct every detail of the track. Devoid of the typical Greenskin rashness and impulsivity, he was a pure, high-level talent.
Raynor had double-checked Sasuke's identity multiple times, only to confirm that the Ork was a completely natural, native Greenskin. Yet, his unflappable demeanor and his need to calculate every move made Raynor wonder if the fellow was being manipulated by Lena or was perhaps an incarnation of Tzeentch.
As the organizers' homegrown talent, Naruto and Sasuke naturally enjoyed advantages other racers lacked. A week prior, they had entered the track in stages, using simulation runs to scout every branching path. They ultimately selected an optimal route that balanced speed and safety.
But even the best route required a powerful "vehicle." This was Raynor's greatest confidence in betting everything on the Twin Stars. In the field of Squig racing, it ultimately came down to genetic modulation. And when it came to genetic modulation on Karl-2, who could surpass Lena?
For this race, Lena had custom-tailored ten specialized Squigs for both Naruto and Sasuke. Each of the ten Squigs was genetically optimized for a different special segment along the primary route. At each segment, they could swap to the most compatible Squig, maintaining peak performance throughout the race.
"To yer marks!"
On the control platform, Yagg's passionate voice, amplified by a megaphone, drowned out the clamor of the arena. The howling from the stands jumped an octave higher as every Ork stood up, eyes locked onto the racers behind the starting line.
Greenskins who couldn't make it to the site were currently huddled in the shacks of various camps, crowded around "Live Broadcast Televisions" introduced by Raynor in collaboration with the Deathskull Mekboyz. These one-square-meter TVs were priced at just three hundred ordinary teeth—exactly two months' wages for a standard Boy. The accessible price ensured the event swept through every corner of Karl-2.
Over a hundred contestants simultaneously tightened the reins of their Squigs. The creatures pawed at the ground restlessly, snorting hot white steam and emitting low growls. In the air above the track, the Waaagh! field had reached a peak density, even causing the light to distort.
"FREE!" "TWO!" "ONE!" "GO!!!"
BOOM!
A firework exploded in the sky. Beneath a canopy of brilliant colors, over a hundred Squigs surged forward at once! Powerful Orkoid limbs hammered the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The roar of bolters, the snarls of Squigs, and the battle cries of Orks instantly intertwined. This mad rally, destined to be etched into the history of Karl-2, had officially begun.
Less than a kilometer out, the slaughter had already started. One racer was taken out at the start when a rival blew out his Squig's hind leg with a bolter round. Racer and mount tumbled out of the track, only to be trampled into meat paste by the thundering herd behind them. Another racer threw out a grappling hook, snagging a lead racer's armor; the two began hacking at each other with choppas while balanced on the backs of their sprinting Squigs.
Amidst this chaos, Naruto and Sasuke maintained a steady rhythm, racing along their predetermined route and quickly breaking into the lead pack. Their sudden emergence drew the immediate attention of the established clans.
In truth, the clan bosses had reached a private consensus before the race began. Since the Hokage Clan was running the show, they had surely given their own racers an edge and figured out all the track's secrets. If these two were allowed to run at their own pace, the championship would be a foregone conclusion.
Tacitly, the trailing racers from the major clans shifted their course, closing in on the Hokage Twin Stars.
The first to strike were the Bad Moons. Five heavy Cave Squigs, resembling five golden tanks, moved to intercept Naruto and Sasuke. These Cave Squigs were already massive and fearsome in combat; the Bad Moons had welded on armor plates and stuffed them with various "big shootas" and "big booms." Even the Squigs' tusks had been replaced with gold—pure extravagance.
"Hokage Boyz! Stop right dere!"
The leading Bad Moon Ork roared with laughter as he slammed down the fire button. Instantly, bolter shells rained down toward Naruto and Sasuke as if they cost nothing. The flashes from the muzzles blurred into a single sheet of fire, the scorching air pressure even dispersing the surrounding dust.
Just as the wall of fire threatened to vaporize both Orks and their mounts, Sasuke's cold voice rang out over the Hokage Clan's internal comms:
"Turn left. Enter Shortcut Three: Gravity Overload Segment."