BIOHAZARD

In 2017, scientists named the Big Stump fungus (Armillaria ostoyae), which grows in the Malheur National Forest Reserve in Oregon, USA, the largest organism on Earth. The mycelial network spans about nine square kilometers and is estimated to be between two and eight thousand years old. Initially, it was thought to be several separate colonies, but genetic analysis revealed it to be one giant network of mycelium—a single organism.

What the scientists did not know was that this mycelial network was merely a detached portion of a much larger organism whose size was impossible to determine at the time.

Over millions of years, fungal organisms colonized underground spaces, spreading among rock formations and forming intricate mycelial networks. The finest filaments—hyphae—penetrated cracks and cavities, absorbing water and nutrients from the environment. Individual colonies grew, connected, and gradually formed increasingly complex biological structures.

Fungal colonies developed extremely slowly; they were forced to adapt to a scarcity of nutrients and oxygen. Some parts of the mycelium died off, freeing space for new growth. Yet, life always finds a way, so this massive organism began to change, mutate, and connect with other fungal species. The organic matter that predatory fungi consumed on the surface reached deep connections and also participated in the process of change. The mycelium began forming a chitinous protective layer, and millennia after its initial formation, flesh and even hair began to develop.

Of course, such a vast organism could not survive on such meager nutrition by its standards. With its body of flesh and chitin, it began to push through the earth in all directions, triggering a wave of earthquakes that resulted in an event now known as the fall of Atlantis. The civilization that lived in this city far surpassed ours; they survived the collapse, but after a futile struggle, they were devoured by the predatory fungus, which allowed it to begin developing rudimentary brain tissue.

2031: Following a series of ecological catastrophes, the first infected animals began to appear. Scientists discovered a parasitic fungus within their bodies that started to spread throughout the nervous system. In the head region, early signs of an «monkey lip» organ formation—similar to that found in baleen whales, which typically serves to create sound waves—were observed, though its practical application remained unknown.

2033: Cases of human infection surfaced, accompanied by the discovery of microscopic spores in the air. (Upon inhaling a sufficient quantity, a mycelium forms within a living organism.) Initially, the air was contaminated in regions of South and Central Africa, as well as in Asia and South America. This marked the start of widespread public anxiety in media and among the populace.

2034: The cause of the atmospheric spores was identified. Several locations were discovered where contaminated air was emanating from fissures in the earth. Scientists Kornev and Steiner began studying the fungus’s development and mutations.

2037: Day X. A massive earthquake scattered spores across the globe, resulting in the mass infection of organic life forms.

2038: Scientists uncovered the fungus’s extraordinary mutagenic properties, intensifying the threat and leading to experiments involving the introduction of the mutagen.

2040: A full-scale confrontation ensued, marked by the appearance of fully developed mutants and monsters rising from the depths. The First Multinational Coalition was formed. Simultaneously, a cult emerged—the «Hearers”—consisting of infected individuals who did not resist. This group comprised anarchists and fanatics willing to employ any method to achieve their aims.

2043: The multinational coalition was restructured into an international alliance. It included most surviving nations, with governance divided into military, humanitarian (medicine, supplies), and economic sectors. Later that same year, „super-soldier“ units were established, having been administered a dose of controlled mutations that enhanced their cognitive and muscular capabilities. Each soldier was assigned a codename based on an animal (Condor-1, Fox-2, etc.).

Level 2 Danger — «Komsomol» — monsters that have surfaced from the earth, or mutated species that previously inhabited Earth, including humans; they are an integral part of the collective consciousness, possessing various genetic mutations depending on their group (some have tough chitinous armor, some are fast, some are acidic, etc.).

Danger Level 3 — «Bourgeois,» a person whose body and mind have withstood all mutations. They have become part of the collective consciousness but retained memories of the past and vestiges of former consciousness and individuality. They still cannot defy the collective, but each possesses their own distinct character. This is analogous to taking a «proletarian» and allowing them to integrate into the collective by only 70 percent; the remaining 30 percent remains human intellect. This type has also gained extraordinary abilities (even surpassing those of «Komsomol» members), allowing them to combine multiple traits simultaneously, alongside immense strength and feline (and sometimes superior) reflexes.

Level 4 — «Gods» (stress on the second 'o') — an absolute giant. If other monsters were merely attempts to mimic existing species, these can rightfully be called chimeras—of gargantuan proportions. They emerged precisely when humans, intoxicated by their victory over the first «Komsomol» types, believed the threat was not so great.