I, the undead, save the world with the dolls

"He's fine, let's go! The diggers are active! They're everywhere underground!" Aliana pushed the postman and asked her to move quickly.

Ariana's motion detection system detected dozens of noises coming from below. The postman quickly led the team forward, searching for a path between the crushed vehicles and the stone slabs.

"Right down below! They're coming!" Ariana announced the location in time. The Postman, Cas, and Joshua jumped up almost simultaneously, landing on nearby sandbags, cars, and wooden boxes to show off. Just as they jumped, the ground beneath their feet was suddenly dug through, and in the dust that was thrown up, a pair of sharp hands appeared.

Several pairs of hands reached out simultaneously from all around, and nearby there were other diggers struggling to climb out. They were planning to pounce on the attackers after they succeeded, creating a one-on-many advantage in the area.

When the humans were shooting at the diggers under their feet, the diggers rushing over nearby could just jump over and bite the humans' throats.

The diggers used this method to kill the NCR soldiers who came here to carry out the cleanup work.

The postman team immediately retaliated, with all kinds of bullets hitting the diggers' bodies and heads, killing the diggers who rushed out.

Contrary to what NCR intelligence had shown, there were no shortage of diggers here. Ariana could detect dozens of them, constantly chasing beneath the ground, ready to burst out and smack anyone walking among the ruins.

Fortunately, these creatures were unable to penetrate and destroy cement slabs and reinforced concrete. The Postal Squad quickly maneuvered between the wreckage and cement slabs, occasionally shooting down those diggers who foolishly stuck their heads out to check their surroundings.

"Go to higher ground, they can't jump very high." The postman took the lead and rushed to an overturned truck nearby.

More diggers emerged from the soil and rubble beneath their feet. Using their flexible and strong wrists and legs, they grabbed the outer wall of the metal carriage with their claws and quickly climbed up. However, no matter how fast they climbed, they were still not as fast as the speed at which the postal team aimed.

These diggers seemed to have no concept of shrinking or fear. They drilled out from below one after another, determined to turn the strange creatures in front of them into immobilized food.

The postman's route became more and more outrageous, jumping from an overturned truck to a metal support, and then from the metal support to a stone pillar in the distance. She could rely on her excellent agility (DEX, which can also be translated as skill) to stabilize her body and pass quickly, but it was more difficult for her teammates behind her to run.

But the current situation did not allow the postman team to think too much. The postman led his team forward. This collapsed road might not have been so long before the war, but for the postman, this distance was too long.

"Damn it!" Cas was caught off guard by a nearby digger, whose claws clawed at her body fiercely, but when they pierced her power suit, instead of being pierced, sparks flew everywhere.

The Saturn alloy suit saved her life, but the collision did disrupt Cas's rhythm. She tried to regain her balance and throw the nasty digger off her.

The suit's built-in artificial muscles instantly boosted Cass's explosive strength. The force provided by the suit allowed Cass to tear the digger from his body and fling him onto the carriage. The force shattered the digger's neck, killing him instantly.

It took about ten or fifteen minutes, but to the postal team, it felt like an hour or two. With dozens of diggers constantly on their heels, the postman had found the upward passage. The afternoon sun was streaming in from outside the tunnel, and the diggers were becoming increasingly frantic.

The food is escaping.

The diggers rushed out of the ground eagerly, but these futile actions were meaningless. As the rearguard, Aliana accurately shot and killed all the diggers in sight, even trying to sneak up on them was useless.

Her motion sensing system is much more sensitive than that of humans. For these creatures whose intelligence is questionable, Ariana completely ignores the possibility that the other party will wait in one place for a long time.

These diggers do not have much intelligence. They are just like African hyenas, relying on their instincts and not-so-bright brains to execute some simple teamwork tactics.

Even so, it was fatal enough for NCR soldiers who lacked accurate intelligence. Lack of manpower and weapons would usually lead to death.

These diggers dared not move into the sunlight, or even approach it. Organisms that grew in dark or dim environments generally could not adapt to the feeling of sunlight shining on the earth.

After killing about seventy diggers, the postman team finally rushed out of the tunnel and lay down in the sunlight again.

"Ah! Ha! Long live the sun!" The Postman and Cas were exhausted. Even Joshua was gasping for air, clutching his knees. They'd been running non-stop for about ten minutes, fighting off the diggers while trying to find their way forward. It was truly a difficult situation.

"Where's the boss?" the postman asked after a short break.

"He's still in the tunnel." Aliana pointed deep into the tunnel.

"Ah? Why didn't you tell me earlier! I'll go save him!" The postman was anxious and annoyed after hearing this, and was ready to rush into the tunnel again.

"No need. If the commander was in danger, I would have rescued him long ago." Aliana was stopped by the postman.

"Then what is he going to do? Play?" The postman almost swears.

"He's going to use a special potion developed by the Great Mountains... These diggers are too dangerous, so he wants to use a drug to completely eliminate all the diggers here." Aliana explained.

"Okay, then I'll rest here for a while. I'll wait for the boss to come before I get on the road." The postman was still worried, so she sat down and gasped.

At this moment, the eyeball robot that had followed the postman all the way (floating in the air and out of reach of the excavators) shook twice, and then Ulysses' voice came from inside.

216 Ulysses' Second Communication

"You're finally here. You were quiet there for a while, and I knew it wouldn't be that easy to kill the bear. As expected, you made it out alive with the machine."

Ulysses' voice could be heard from the EDE. Ariana looked warily into the distance, or more precisely, into the wreckage of a high-rise building on the verge of collapse.

"Is this what you're going to do? Lead us into a group of red zombies armed to the teeth, and then make us go through a shabby tunnel full of monsters from a horror movie?" The postman said after catching his breath.

"There are lessons to be learned from the Great Rift. The history left here by the old world may teach those Republican guys something... but only if they listen." Ulysses seemed determined to regard the postman as someone who assisted NCR's operations.

This perception is not surprising. Ulysses did not know that the Postman had decided to help Sun Yang eliminate and rectify NCR.

Judging from the Postman's actions on the surface, she has been helping NCR, cleaning up its messes, solving various messes, and engaging in high-intensity firefights with Caesar's Legion's infiltration forces.

"You said I work for NCR? Well, I guess so. The main reason is that the others either don't like it or are too small to support it." The postman thought about it and decided to be cautious and not tell anyone that he was planning to overthrow NCR.

After all, Ulysses, this guy, after all, has only known me for less than half a day. I can't just pour out my heart and soul, right? God knows what this guy is up to.

Let the boss pretend to be the elite troops of the Enclave and kill all the rent-seeking groups in the NCR. Then, he will show up and defeat the fake Enclave that is acting arrogantly... No one will believe this kind of thing. This plan is a bit too outrageous.

"NCR has some ideas about doing the right thing, but they never really follow through. You've seen what they did. Like Neptune, and other places..."

"Neptune, I know. I killed Wolps there. The Legion crucified everyone there and drew lots."

"The mayor there paid his way into office, and he recruited a bunch of scumbags to kidnap NCR soldiers and nearby residents for ransom. They truly deserved to die."

The postman recalled the past, and she was still holding the dog-head hat happily.

"This current situation is truly unacceptable. NCR has expanded over so much territory that no matter how many troops are deployed here, they cannot maintain effective rule. Moreover, I suspect that management within NCR itself will be difficult."

"It's not surprising that so many bastards are mixed in under such circumstances. This is a flaw that NCR cannot ignore. Do you have a better way to solve it?" The postman nodded in agreement with Ulysses.

"Any postman anywhere will tell you the same thing. Bears... bears are busy carving up the Mojave landscape with knives, roads, borders. Why can't things be just the way they are?"

"They were stretched thin, unable to protect their front lines, their towns, and they thought a piece of paper represented power and radio represented control - all of that was useless. But it doesn't matter now. The bears failed to rule the Rift Valley." Ulysses sighed at last.

"I think at least the NCR is trying to help the Mojave. There should be some impressive performance, right?" The Postman thought NCR had a lot of problems, but it wasn't completely useless. At least NCR could still maintain a semblance of order.

"The word 'try' doesn't hold much weight in my vocabulary. The Legion doesn't try to kill, they do. The bears kill when they try to protect others. The irony is that the Legion... though their flags may be old, they are not at war with themselves." Ulysses elaborated on his point of view.

The NCR's heavy taxes in the Mojave were difficult for many to accept, and due to the scarcity of manpower, the NCR was unable to effectively govern the various settlements and towns.

When conflicts arose between NCR immigrants and local residents, even though the NCR officials were overwhelmed with work, they were unable to properly resolve the conflicts.

In any case, NCR is indeed caught in a war with itself. They have taken too big a step and their ambitions are not commensurate with their national strength.

Because it was unable to effectively rule the towns and cities of Mojave, large and small, the NCR, a seemingly large country, immediately became extremely difficult to operate, and even transporting supplies to the front line was very difficult.

As for Caesar's Legion, the area conquered by Caesar's Legion was itself a bunch of uncivilized tribal natives who fought each other at will.

However, after the arrival of the more civilized Caesar Legion, which had received training and education from the Caesar religion, they immediately crushed these tribes, breaking up and integrating all the tribes that had not yet formed nationalism into the larger tribe of the Legion.

Those tribes were cut off from their unique culture and roots and soon became part of the Legion.

Unlike the natives who are still living a life similar to that of primitive people, the Legion's lifestyle and technological level are higher, better and more advanced.

Those who joined the tribe were promised specific jobs because of their skills, and because of this collective life, they enjoyed conveniences that were previously unimaginable.

Each tribe has its own specialties, from raising hunting dogs to being good at mixing herbs. Under Caesar's arrangement, everyone can enjoy the additional technologies and conveniences brought by different tribes.

After seeing a better way of life than before, the tribesmen quickly abandoned their past culture and turned to believe in Caesar, the man who brought them a new life. This is why there was no internal strife within the legion.

Everyone regards Caesar as the most supreme person, so naturally there is no way for them to fight among themselves - whatever Caesar says is what it is, and if you go against Caesar's will, you will only end up dead.

The NCR's occupation of the Mojave was much more troublesome. The NCR did not have enough manpower to solve the security problems in the entire Mojave.

They could only barely gather their forces into a few larger cities and camps, and they also needed enough manpower to defend the dam, which made the already insufficient manpower even more stretched.

The locals are not ignorant. You have not made their lives better, and you are collecting heavy taxes. Who the hell cares about you, you damn NCR?

The Dynamite Gang and the Demon Gang were running out in droves, and the Venom Bees, Night Owls, and Radscorpions were all wandering around the streets. Is this what you call safety? Where did the taxes you collected go?

When the postman thought of this, he looked towards the west, towards his home country, NCR. He wondered what NCR did with all the tax money it collected.

It's not going to be sold to the Two-Headed Bull Tycoon, who will make the money and then take it to New Vegas to spend it, right?

"You'll think about this, Postman No. 6. You walked out of the towns of the Old World, through the tunnels connecting various places... Now, you have reached the highway. You and your team, that machine, and the remnants of NCR left here, have been baptized by radiation and fire, as have those things that are burrowing underground." Ulysses' words rang out again.

"Everything you've seen in the Mojave is more dangerous this way. Deathclaws—they're hunting the Branded, and they're also hunting the things that burrow underground."

Ulysses gave a rather cordial reminder.

"What do you think of those weird things down there?" Since he had to wait for his boss to finish dealing with the tunnel, and since he had nothing else to do, the postman decided to chat with this unnamed guy.

"Diggers, predators that live underground. The tremors of the Great Rift shattered their 'sky,' revealing the world above and the scent of new prey."

"Such creatures will slaughter the Mojave more slowly than bombs and war. These burrowing creatures will come for the people of the Mojave from where they least expect it - underground," Ulysses explained.

"You mean they're spreading out from the Great Rift?"

The postman felt that the things below were becoming more and more difficult to deal with.

"Death is coming from underground. In the Great Rift, you need to be careful of the sky and the underground. The environment in the Great Rift is much worse than the Mojave... The Mojave is just a piece of cake for them. They will spread all over the Mojave soon, which may take a few years, or even less."

"They breed rapidly and hunt in packs, making them difficult for even the most powerful of the Mojave to contend with. Once they smell blood... watch as they tear open the Deathclaws."

"The deathclaws might kill a few of them, but the others would swarm and tear them apart like Denver hounds."

Ulysses continued to calmly utter his horrific prophecy.

"Hah... Mojave has another headache. By the way, those soldiers from Dawntown, I'm sure they were all former NCR people. Did they mix with the Legion after becoming zombies?" The postman continued to ask.

"That was only their appearance before all this happened. Pain forged these strange alliances, the bear and the bull, once at odds, joined forces on the battlefield. Many NCR were already here when the destruction came, keeping the eastern routes open, living in fear of Caesar and the Legion."

"I think I understand why Caesar's Legion is here. If Caesar's Legion doesn't cut off the supply from NCR, it will definitely fail." said the postman.

"NCR can't easily reach the Mojave. Without this road, they can only transport supplies from the pre-war highway further south. Without this, NCR's expansion can only stop at the Mojave, not to mention the more distant New Canaan, Salt Lake City, and the heartland of Caesar's Legion..."

"Kimball, Caesar, House, the farthest they can see is the wall across the Colorado River. But my vision is not limited to this." Ulysses explained in profound words.

"I heard that you were the first person from the Legion to discover the Hoover Dam. You can be regarded as someone who promoted exchanges and collisions between the two countries. I guess interesting things happened later." The postman nodded.

"After witnessing that magnificent wall, I abandoned my blind worship of Caesar. When I cast aside my worship and looked at it again, I understood many things."

"Caesar is also a human being and he makes mistakes. His knowledge and power do not come from himself, but from the old world hundreds of years ago. He just stands on the shoulders of giants." Ulysses said.

"It was the old world that gave him knowledge. Caesar was not great; it was the old world that taught him and built the great Hoover Dam that was great."

After Ulysses expressed his views, he began to talk about some things that happened to the legion afterwards.

"Then I became Caesar's eyes, observing everything on the Mojave. In the process of communicating with the people here, I gradually understood some things, and I think Caesar understood them too."

"Hoover Dam, New Vegas, and the NCR, it's a different flag, another totem, another entity that can question him, challenge him."

"If Caesar doesn't conquer these symbols of the old days, the legions' faith in him will be shaken. This is something Caesar cannot tolerate."

"And the road to the Great Rift Valley is the key route that the Legion wants to cut off. If you can't defeat the bear in one fell swoop, then make it bleed and starve."

"This method of killing is not something the Legion once employed. Caesar used to rely solely on brute force tactics and frontal combat to defeat his enemies, but facing the NCR across the dam, he realized that they were not an opponent that could be defeated by the bravery of his soldiers."

"And now, the Great Rift Valley has become a thing of the past. The traces of this history are still preserved here, on the bodies of those who were branded."

Ulysses gives a detailed account of the origins and consequences of this past.

"I believe you must be an excellent history teacher, Ulysses," Sun Yang's voice came from the air. He slowly lifted his invisibility and held the square tape reel in his hand. "Look what I found, a tape!"

[Commander, should we take action? Ulysses is observing us from a building 5 kilometers away.] Ariana passed the information she had observed to Sun Yang.

"Anyway, let's rest here for a while. Fortunately, I commissioned the people in the Great Mountains to make something that can deal with the red fog toxin. I prepared some red fog generators and put them in it, which should be able to effectively prevent these creatures from escaping." Sun Yang still said that there was no need to take action.

Sun Yang still had a relatively clear impression of Ulysses. This guy was very serious and stubborn when facing the postman. If he said he would wait for the postman to arrive, then he would definitely wait for her to arrive. To put it nicely, he was persistent; to put it bluntly, he was a pervert.

But considering all that Ulysses has been through, it's pretty good that he can maintain this relatively stable mental state and initiate long conversations. A less virtuous person would have committed suicide long ago.

"You're even more powerful than I imagined, a man who masters the technology of the Great Mountain Range. And you even possess technology that the Great Mountain Range doesn't have... Never mind, I just want to end things with the Postman. I don't want to know anything else."

"As for the tape? I didn't expect you could find it. The Great Rift Valley is more generous than I thought. I got that recorder with the Great Mountain Range technology from a dying woman while I was on the road."

"Take the tapes with you. They contain nothing but nonsense, perhaps only the lies I told the Great Rift. It may be destiny that you found them and listened to them after I threw them aside."

"If it has an impact on you, if history has an impact, then we will see the outcome at the end of this road."

Ulysses didn't mind how Sun Yang fiddled with the tape.

In response, Sun Yang just shrugged and handed the final say back to the postman.

"The first time we talked in town, you mentioned that you swore not to kill me? Why?" the postman asked.

"You should know the reason. Even if you don't, I do. Performances like trust are only popular in the Western world. At this point, everything has more meaning than before."

"We've walked the same path and share similar backgrounds. There's no need for us to fight to the death. If you want to know more, then travel the Great Rift Valley. The answers are approaching you, and you and that machine are getting closer and closer to home."

Ulysses compares the depths of the Great Rift Valley to his and the Postman's home.

"I'm sure I've been here before, but I don't consider this my home. My home is in NCR, in that small town."

"There once was a town here, further west. It wasn't some old-world town like Dawn Town... It existed closer to the present day, and you've witnessed it in your lifetime. It was also called the Great Divide. It wasn't a crack in the earth, but a supply line running from west to east."