"RED THREAD" Apocalyptic World

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5. Psi-station "Silence"

· Description: An abandoned radar tower and science station on a secluded hill. There is evidence that psychotronic weapons were studied here. · Threats and features: · Anomalous Zone: The equipment is still running on the remaining energy, creating a background psi-radiation. It causes panic in people, paranoia, awakens the worst memories. The "bound" behave strangely here: they can freeze or bang their heads against the walls. · Mutated flora: The plants around are twisted, spiraling in a spiral. There are no animals.

4. Red Dawn Bio-Factory

· Description: A plant for the production of liqueurs and vitamins, where in the early days they tried to create a vaccine. The experiments failed terribly. · Threats and features: · Chemical contamination: Vapors of incomprehensible reagents hang in the air. Hallucinations, burns, mutations are possible. · Fusions in Vats: In the giant fermentation vats, the virus, yeast, and organic matter gave rise to amorphous, pulsating "Fusions" capable of releasing tentacles. · Smart "Hot": Some of the infected here are former scientists. They can perform the simplest actions: turn valves, turn off the light, luring victims into traps. They "store" the main laboratory. · Treasure: Research data (on damaged hard drives) possibly pointing to the nature of immunity or the creators of the virus. · Interest: Sci-fi horror. A place to look for answers, not canned food.

3. "MEGA-MALL "ZENITH" (Abundance Trap)

· Description: A huge, dark shopping mall. Once there was a shelter here, but it fell from the inside due to a conflict over resources. Now it is a giant mass grave and an ecosystem of horror. · Threats and features: · Horde imprisoned: Hundreds of "Bounds" wander through darkened atriums and shops. The sound echoes through the floors. · "Weavers" in the Food Court: The Food Yard has become the lair of this branch, covered in a deadly web. · Marauder Raiders: A brutal gang has settled on the roof and in the service rooms, using the mall as a laboratory for the production of drugs from fungus and plants. They unleash hordes against outsiders. · Treasure: Household chemicals warehouse (source of alcohol, acids), sports store (equipment), pharmacy (locked and barricaded).

.2. "Zaton"

· Description: A city on the water, built on the wrecks of sunken ships, barges and pontoons in the quiet backwaters of a large river. An analogue of the Venice apocalypse. · Structure and life: Houses are superstructures on decks. Streets are bridges and ladders. They travel on flat-bottomed boats. The main activities are fishing, catching freshwater shellfish and purifying water. There is its own "shipyard" for building rafts. The society is quite open, but extremely superstitious: they believe in the "River Grandfather", the spirit of the waters, who needs to be appeased. · Threats: Water mutants ("catfish-stickers" capable of capsizing a boat; parasitic leeches), diseases due to dampness, conflicts with land bandits who dream of capturing an impregnable city, and sudden floods that bring infected garbage and corpses.

Metro-2 (Podsputnik)

· Description: Not a myth, but a reality. A network of deep government tunnels and bunkers beneath the capital, which has become an independent underground city-state. It is not a single shelter, but a conglomerate of "platforms" (stations) connected by tunnels. · Structure and life: · Dzerzhinsky Platform: Military Headquarters. Discipline, control, clean barracks. Energy from geothermal wells. · "Botanical Platform": Giant hydroponic farms under UV lamps. The "bread mushroom" and safe crops are grown here. The air is humid, smells of earth. · Arbat Bazaar: Trade and craft station. Noise, hubbub, smells of the forge and soup. The Center of Political Intrigue. · Dark Branch: Abandoned tunnels where criminals are dropped and where blind mutants and bands of outcasts are rumored to live. · Threats: Ventilation issues (risk of spore contamination), raids from the Dark Branch, psychoses due to life without sunlight, a delicate balance of power between platforms.

· "Archive" vs "New Jerusalem": Cold War and ideological enmity. The Archive considers the monks to be obscurantists, and in response they are servants of the devil. There are few direct conflicts, but intelligence clashes are constant. · "Volnitsa" vs "Stepnyaki": Complex relations of competition and alliances. Watermen and railroad workers compete for the right to trade with the Rotunda and small settlements, but can unite against a common threat (for example, a horde blocking the way). · The Rotunda is the head of everything: All factions depend on it as a trade and information hub. "Mother Zoya" masterfully plays on their contradictions, maintaining neutrality and her power. · The fate of the Enlightened Ones: Their position is the best indicator of the morality of the refuge. They are bargaining chips, weapons, commodities, or outcasts. Their search for a place in this world is one of the central dramas of the universe.

Location: Endless steppes and abandoned railway tracks. They live in armored trains and on all-terrain vehicles. · Leader: "Atamansha" (Galina Zheleznaya), a former typist who united disparate clans. She is severe, honest, follows the "law of steel and wheels". · Ideology: "Movement is life". Sedentarism is death. Their world is an endless voyage along circular routes, gathering resources, hunting mutants, and trading with rare sedentary settlements. · Attitude towards the Enlightened: "Your own, if you have proven your loyalty to the clan." Nomads, who themselves live on the verge of a dangerous environment, are more tolerant. Accord can be a great hunter, and Pathfinder can be an invaluable guide. But the weak, regardless of mutation, are not kept here - they are abandoned at the next settlement. · Everyday life and structure: Life in constant motion. The head of the clan is on the main locomotive or car. Children from an early age learn to repair equipment and shoot. The "Road" is also revered by the spirit of metal. Their holidays are a successful hunt for a large mutant or the discovery of a fuel warehouse. · Strength: Fantastic mobility, wilderness survival skills, mastery of old machinery. · Weakness: Dependence on fuel and spare parts, inability to create something complex, constant threat of attack on the road.

· Location: A circular building of a former exhibition center with a courtyard-garden, at the intersection of several (relatively) safe roads. · Leader: "Mother Zoya" (Zoya Semenova), former director of the market. Wise, cunning, impartial. Its authority is unshakable because it benefits everyone. · Ideology: "Trade, not war." The rotunda is a neutral territory. Here you can buy and sell everything: from ammunition to information. Any attempt at violence within the walls is punishable by instant exile or death. · Attitude to the "Enlightened": "Solvent clients". In the Rotunda, they are viewed as rare goods or specialists. "Quiet" can sell the route, "Pathfinder" - information about threats. Here they can find temporary work and respite from persecution. But outside the walls of the Rotunda does not guarantee their safety. · Life and arrangement: Courtyard — market. Galleries in a circle - workshops, taverns, brothels, shops. There is a gang of "Arbiters" who maintain order. Life is in full swing day and night. The main values are information, rare components (batteries, antibiotics) and trust (which is also bought here). · Strength: Economic influence, the best intelligence network, a concentration of rare specialists. · Weakness: Complete dependence on external supplies, vulnerability to blackmail, spies of all factions are constantly spinning inside.

· Location: A fortified monastery on a high hill, surrounded by walls of stone and "living steel". · Leader: Father Job (former historian Andrei), a fanatical believer, who sees in the apocalypse a "cleansing flame" and God's providence. · Ideology: "Quarantine from sin". The virus is a punishment for the pride of humanity. Salvation is in prayer, work and purity of spirit. Any contact with the "defiled" world (especially mutations) is a sin. · Attitude to the "Enlightened": "Evil spirits", "devilish spawn". Anyone who shows signs of mutation is banished or burned at the stake as a carrier of corruption. "Healing sage" is considered a "devil's herb" that masks evil. · Everyday life and arrangement: Strict daily routine (prayer, work, meals). Communal property. Developed subsistence agriculture within the walls (clean seeds are kept as shrines). Artisans, but technology above the steam engine is considered "godless". Strong guards of the Hammer Brothers. · Strength: High morale, self-sufficiency, powerful fortifications, unity of faith. · Weakness: Technological stagnation, aggressive foreign policy, degeneration of the gene pool, constant purges and paranoia.

· Location: Floating settlement on old barges, ferries and yachts linked together in a large river delta. · Leader: "Botsman" (Evgeny Sviridov), a former sailor of the river fleet. Rude, charismatic, fair within his code of honor. He rules by the power of authority and the support of the strongest "captains" of barges. · Ideology: "The strong is right, the free lives." Minimum rules, maximum personal responsibility. The main values are freedom of movement, skill and loyalty to your crew ("crew"). · The attitude towards the "Enlightened": "Your boyfriend" or "Threat" depends on usefulness. The "Quiet" who can lead the flotilla past the coastal horde will become a hero. The "pathfinder" who predicted the storm will be respected. But anyone who shows signs of instability will be thrown overboard without a second thought. Here they value the result, not nature. · Life and structure: Each large barge is a mini-state with its own "captain". They trade, fight, make alliances. The market on the central barge is the main place for the exchange of news and goods. The main occupations are fishing, collecting coastal resources, repairing ships, raiding abandoned coastal warehouses. · Strength: Mobility, inaccessibility for the bulk of the "Bounds", developed trade and intelligence networks. · Weakness: Constant internal conflicts, vulnerability to water mutants and storms, inability to create heavy industry.

1. "Archive" (Technocratic Dictatorship of Survival)

· Location: A former underground top-secret science campus-bunker deep in the mountains. · Leader: Dr. Arkady Volsky, former virologist, one of the (indirect) creators of Hemocord. A cold, pragmatic intellectual suffering from a severe form of asthma. It governs through the Security Council. · Ideology: "Reason is above all." The only way for humanity to survive is to restore technology and search for a vaccine. Individual freedom has been sacrificed to collective security. · Relation to the "Enlightened Ones": Tools and Objects of Study. "Silent" and "Pathfinders" are forcibly registered, used on dangerous missions to extract data and samples. "Accords" are valued as workers and soldiers. All are subjected to regular medical examinations. The fugitives are being pursued. · Everyday life and structure: Strict hierarchy. Clear rations, standardized light, card system. The upper levels are for scientists and the elite (purity, remnants of old technologies). Lower levels are for workers and soldiers (crowding, harsh conditions). There are laboratories, hydroponic farms, and even a small archive of digital data. · Strength: Advanced (for the new world) research, stocks of pre-war equipment, disciplined guards in makeshift armor. · Weakness: Tight control breeds underground resistance. Dependence on external resources (metal, fuel).

"Hunger / Perpetual Motion Machine" (Metabolic Anomaly)

· Mechanics: Their digestive system has mutated to extract energy and nutrients from almost any organic matter, including carrion, fungi, and even partially from infected flesh (but not without consequences). Their metabolism is incredibly efficient. · Benefits: Almost indestructible in terms of logistics. They can survive where others will starve to death. Ideal explorers for long hikes in remote zones. · Price: huge hunger. They have to eat almost constantly, often low-quality food. Eating infected meat threatens with a temporary clouding of the mind, hallucinations and aggression ("berserker state"). Their body often has an unnatural thinness. Socially, they are a burden to any community because of their appetites. · Реакция общества: Их ценят в экспедициях, но ненавидят на своей базе как «пожирателей ресурсов». Ходят слухи, что некоторые «Голоды» в отчаянии стали каннибалами.

· Exploitation: Strong factions (Archive, raiders) see them as weapons or tools. · Sects and cults: Some mutants can become the core of new religious movements (for example, "Symbiotes" for nature worshippers, "Echo Ghosts" for spiritualists). Often, people with abilities live separately, preferring their own small communities. · Their abilities are both their salvation and their sentence.

3. "Symbiotes" (Plant-Viral Mutation)

· Mechanics: In the host's body, the virus has entered into a unique symbiosis with the microspores of the Bloody Biota. On their skin (often along the spine or on the shoulders) grow small but living areas of mutated flora - stems of "healing sage", pieces of "silver moss" or even miniature "hunting buttercups". · Benefits: The carrier receives the passive properties of these plants. Sage gives permanent, weak protection from the attention of the "Bounted". Moss can glow in the dark or purify water if you run it over it. They are becoming walking sources of rare biomaterials. · Price: Plants are part of their body. Their injury causes physical pain. Plants require nutrients while competing with the host's body. During the "blooming" period, the host can exude strong pheromones that attract both mutant pollinators and dangerous creatures. Their psyche often changes, showing features of "vegetative" calm and slow perception of time. · Reaction of society: The most ambiguous type. For some, they are saints, children of the new Earth, a symbiosis of man and nature. For others (especially the "New Jerusalem"), it is the highest form of blasphemy, "walking weeds." The scientists of the Archive will be obsessed with studying them.

2. "Guides / Biobeacons" (Communication-pheromone mutation)

· Mechanics: The host's body produces a unique cocktail of pheromones and emits subsonic vibrations that temporarily hijack the "attention" of the lower forms of the "Bound". They can attract a small group of infected people for a short time (minutes) or, conversely, take them aside, creating a "corridor". · Benefit: An unprecedented tactical role. They can save the group by diverting the horde or lure enemies into a trap. Indispensable for clearing operations. · Price: Their signal also attracts specialized mutants, especially the Prowlers and Beacons. After using the ability, they experience exhaustion comparable to a severe migraine, and become hyper-attractive for several hours to all infected within a radius of half a kilometer. The risk of being torn apart by "one's own" herd. · Public reaction: They are seen as suicidal weapons and a human bomb. They are treated with superstitious fear. They are often isolated, being taken "to work" only in critical situations, as a last argument.

These mutations are less common than "Silent" or "Chords" (perhaps 1 in 1000 surviving Enlightened Ones) and often make their hosts outcasts, prophets, or living weapons.

1. "Echo Ghosts" (Sensory-Mnestic Mutation)

· Mechanic: The wearer gains access to the residual memory and emote fragments of the "Bounds". In close contact with an infected person (especially a "Hot" or fresh "Weaver"), they can see, hear, and feel that person's last vivid memories before infection or at the time of death. This is not controlled mind-reading, but a chaotic, painful flow of images and feelings. · Benefit: Can extract valuable information: location of caches, passwords to hideouts, names of traitors, routes of safe zones. They can "identify" an infected person by finding out who they were during their lifetime, which causes them deep existential horror, but can help in psychological warfare. · Price: Constant psychological trauma. Carriers live in the nightmare of other people's deaths. The risk of losing one's own identity in an avalanche of other people's memories ("blurred personality syndrome"). They often suffer from severe depression, schizophrenic episodes, and suicidal tendencies. · Public reaction: They are feared as "necromancer psychometrists." Some consider them oracles capable of calming the souls of the dead, others - desecrators of memory and carriers of corruption. The "Archive" will yearn to study them at all costs, the "New Jerusalem" will burn them.

2. "Pathfinders" (neuronal-symbiotic mutation): · Change: Their brains have learned to partially decipher the Red Ecosystem's chemical and sound signals. They can intuitively predict the behavior of a horde or the approach of a specialized mutant by changing the pattern of "threads" on the skin of the "Bound", by the singing of birds or the smell of fungus. · Price: Constant migraines, synesthesia (they can "hear" the colors of smells), nightmares in which they feel part of the horde. Risk of going crazy. · Role: Strategists, tacticians, mutant hunters. Their intuition is priceless, but their advice is listened to with fear.
3. "Chords" (physiological mutation): · Change: Their muscle fibers and connective tissues integrated the "red threads," becoming denser and more efficient. They do not become super-strong, but they have phenomenal endurance, recover faster from loads and are less prone to muscle fatigue. · Price: An accelerated metabolism requires 50% more calories. Their bodies are constantly warm, making them visible to heat sensors and some mutants. · Role: Long-distance couriers, builders, the main combat force in long skirmishes.
4. Anomalies and New Ones: Occasionally, the Enlightened Ones develop new, unusual mutations. There are few of them, but they exist. Therefore, there is practically no information about them.

Mutations have also affected people who have not become "Bound" and are now forced to live in a destroyed and dangerous world. III. Neutral and Positive Mutations in Humans ("Enlightened" / "Quiet")

Immunity is not the only option. In an extremely small percentage of people (less than 0.1%), the virus has integrated, not destroying the personality, but exacerbating or altering some aspects of physiology and perception. These are not superpowers, but dual gifts, often going hand in hand with debilitating side effects.

1. "Quiet" (sensory mutation): · Change: Their nervous system is tuned to the frequencies of the virus. They unconsciously emit a pheromone "background noise" identical to the "Bound" of the lower stages. For hordes, they are "invisible" at a close distance (up to 10-15 meters). · Cost: Their own senses are blunted. They have a poor sense of smell and taste, the world seems muted. They often suffer from feelings of isolation and depression. Hordes will still attack if they see movement or hear a noise. · Role: The best scouts and "sappers" for passing through occupied territories. They live in a constant internal conflict: they are necessary for society, but alien to it.

II. Harmless and Useful Flora

1. "Silver Moss" ("Weeping Moss"): · Mutation: Covers rocks and trunks in damp areas. It absorbs heavy metals and viral toxins from the soil and air, accumulating them in the form of harmless crystals. In the sun, it shimmers silver. With sufficient mass, it glows faintly with cold light on its own. · Benefit: Indicator of soil cleanliness. It is used for passive lighting of shelters (niches are lined with it). It has mild antiseptic properties - the decoction is used to wash wounds.
2. "Bread mushroom" (symbiotic lichen-mycelium): · Mutation: Grows even on bare concrete and rusty metal. It has a dense, layered structure that resembles a flat round bread. · Benefits: Edible and nutritious. The taste is neutral, like tofu or mushrooms. It grows quickly. It has become the basis of the diet of many shelters. Its cultivation is the first science of the new world.
3. "Living Steel" (bindweed): · Mutation: Secretes special enzymes that interact with rust and minerals in the soil. In the process of growth, it weaves and "fastens" collapsing structures, forming ultra-strong biocomposite structures. · Benefit: It is intentionally braided around the walls of shelters, bridges, frames. Over time, it turns to stone, creating living, growing armor. Managing its growth is the art of the engineers of the new world.
4. "Healing Sage / Tikhotrav": · Mutation: Produces a cocktail of alkaloids that temporarily suppress aggression in the "Bounted" at the level of smell. The strong, herbal smell, which people hardly smell, confuses the infected, causing them to lose interest. · Benefit: Planting around the perimeter of the walls creates a "quiet zone". The powder from its leaves is a component of smoke bombs for stealthy retreat. A valuable, but rare commodity.

It seemed that the world was over, but not everything was so sad. Harmless and Useful Mutations appeared: "Light Threads"

Evolution is not only about increasing aggression. The Hemocord virus, interfering with the genome, sometimes causes neutral or positive symbiotic changes, especially in species with a fast life cycle or in carriers of rare genetic features.

1. Harmless and Useful Fauna

2. "Filter fireflies" (mutated fireflies/nematodes): · Mutation: Their glow organs now work on the principle of biochemical neutralization of viral particles. They swarm near water bodies, feeding on microorganisms and viral suspension. · Benefit: The accumulation of these fireflies is a sign of relatively clear water. Their larvae are used in primitive biofiltration systems. Their soft, soothing light does not attract the infected.

3. "Woolen hares / Barmines" (small rodents and lagomorphs): · Mutation: Hypertrophied growth of very thick, soft fur with unique thermal insulation and shock-absorbing properties. Animals are shy and harmless. · Benefit: Their fur is a valuable resource for survivors. Yarn made from it is incredibly warm, light and, as it turned out, partially dampens the low-frequency mooing of the "Mayaks", making the wearer less "noticeable" to the hordes. Hunting them is a risky but peaceful business.

4. "Honey ants-forecasters": · Mutation: Sensitive to changes in the electromagnetic field and chemical composition of the air caused by the activity of large clusters of "Bounds" or the approach of a storm. · Benefit: Their behavior (urgent bricking up of entrances, moving eggs deeper) is an accurate natural barometer of danger. Colonies near the hives of such ants are protected like the apple of the eye.

5. "Silent owls": · Mutation: Feathers have acquired a special structure that completely dampens the sound of flight. They hunt mutant "bloodsuckers" and carrier rats without making a rustle. · Benefit: A symbol of good luck and secrecy.

Plants, through soil and water saturated with viral organic matter, entered into a complex symbiosis with the virus.

1. Trap plants:

· Red Ivy / Filamentous Stelef: An aggressive vine with spines containing a virus. It weaves around buildings and fences. Its growth provokes crackling and rustling, which attracts the infected. An attempt to cut it down causes the release of a cloud of spores that cause hallucinations and aggression in animals. · Dead Man's Breath (Mold Mushroom): Grows in dark, damp places, often on the Bound Ones themselves in the Root stage. When alarmed, it releases a cloud of spores. Effect: In humans, suffocation, cough, temporary blindness. "Bound" has a fit of rage and an acceleration of metabolism. · «Hunting Buttercup": A flower with a bright scarlet, fleshy core, smelling of fresh blood and endorphins. Attracts victims. When touched, the petals slam shut, and the spines inject a powerful neurotoxin and virus. 2. Lighthouse Plants and Modifiers:

· Tree of Milestones: A large tree whose root system interacts with the mycelium of Dead Man's Breath. Its juice pulsates at a low frequency felt by the "Bounds". The destruction of such a tree within a radius of a kilometer causes disorientation among the hordes. · "Steel root": A weed whose roots secrete acid that destroys concrete and weak metal. The main reason for the collapse of abandoned buildings and the weakening of fortifications. · "Meat berry": It bears fruit abundantly, the berries are rich in protein and calories. But! It causes a strong addiction and a gradual change in taste buds. Those who eat it for a long time begin to find the smell of rotting flesh... appetizing. Cultists use them in rituals.

Animals do not become "zombies" in the human sense. The virus changes their behavior and physiology, making them spreaders and deadly predators.

1. Vectors and Parasites:

· "Bloodsuckers": Mosquitoes, ticks and flies that fed on the infected have become living syringes. Their bite is highly likely to transmit the virus. They are attracted by the smell of healthy human blood (perhaps due to the lack of pheromones of the virus in it). · "Porters": Rats, crows, stray dogs. The virus does not kill them, but it makes them hyper-aggressive and devoid of fear. They attack anything that moves, spreading the virus on their claws and teeth. Flocks of "red crows" are especially dangerous, pecking out the eyes of the living. 2. Mutated Predators (Large Forms):

· «"Earth probes" (former boars/badgers): The virus stimulated the growth of bone plates on the skull and back. They dig the ground at an incredible speed, creating tunnels under the fortifications. They are aggressive, they hear vibrations. · «Silk Wolves": The virus is in symbiosis with the same fungus as the Spinners. Sticky threads stretch from the mouths and tracks of predators, slowing down the prey. They hunt, driving the victim into traps previously braided with "silkcast". · "Swarm cat" (large cats): The virus has hypertrophied their group instincts. Now they hunt in prides of 10-15 individuals, with flawless, almost intelligent coordination. They can purposefully destroy the weak points of fortifications. 3. Anomalies:

· "Acid Corpse Eaters" (Hyenas, Vultures): Their stomach juices have mutated to digest infected flesh. In case of danger, they can regurgitate a jet of a caustic substance that dissolves flesh and metal. · Echo Sounders (Bats): Their echolocation now emits not only sound, but also viral pheromones that attract the Bounts to the source of the noise. Where the colony hunts, a horde will soon appear.

· Evolution trigger: A long stay in the epicenter of a huge accumulation of infected people (stadiums, squares). The virus optimized the body for coordination. · Appearance: Often these are "Roots" (Stage III) that have undergone further changes. Their "red filaments" have a faint bioluminescent glow in the dark. The larynx and thorax are hypertrophied. · Threat: · Horde Coordinator: They emit more than just mooing, but complex modulated low-frequency and ultrasonic sounds capable of guiding the movement of hundreds of ordinary "Bounts". Their "orders" can change the horde's behavior from chaotic to purposeful (e.g., "storm this wall"). · Objective No1: Destroying the Lighthouse temporarily confuses the horde, giving it a chance to escape or counterattack. · Defense: They are always surrounded by a dense ring of Weavers and Roots, which act as human shields. 5 Anomaly: Fusion

· Trigger: Catastrophic physical damage to many infected people in a cramped space (explosion, fire), after which the virus, trying to "repair" the hosts, confused their bodies. · Appearance: A nightmarish, asymmetrical conglomerate of 3-8 bodies fused into a single mass. A lot of limbs, heads, mouths. · Threat: Unpredictable. Some "Fusions" are almost motionless and only try to grasp everything that approaches. Others, successfully fused, can be incredibly strong and tenacious. These are walking zones of biological contamination, from which streams of liquids and odors emanate. They are destroyed only by significant destructive force (explosives, arson).

But the "Connected" are not the only things that humanity will have to deal with in the future, the so-called "Red Ecosystem" will soon appear: The Hemocord virus turned out to be strikingly nonspecific. It could not completely subdue the complex nervous systems of most animals and plants, but integrated itself into their biology, creating symbiotic and parasitic forms.

Evolution Trigger: Infection of an organism with severe fungal or bacterial infections. The virus has entered into symbiosis with aggressive microorganisms. · Appearance: The body is covered not just with necrotic tissue, but with a dense layer of a biological "cocoon" of fast-hardening mucus, chitin and mycelium. They are often sedentary. · Threat: · Passive Danger: They do not pursue. They transform the environment. The "weavers" secrete sticky filaments and spores, braiding passages, doors, and entire rooms with web-like biomass. · Trap: Touching these "whips" causes severe irritation, and their spores, once in the lungs or on an open wound, lead to an excruciating fungal infection, weakening the victim and making them easy prey for regular "Bounts". · Strategy: They create "hunting grounds" by slowing and poisoning the living. It is difficult to destroy them - the cocoon protects them from most blows. Fire is effective.

Branch 3: Prowlers / Hounds (Sensory and Kinetic Specialization) Evolution trigger: Infection of a healthy, physically strong person (athlete, military) and the subsequent "race" for live prey in an open area. · Appearance: They maintain a relative "fitness". Their "red threads" are concentrated in the legs, back and visual cortex. They often move on all fours, demonstrating unnatural flexibility and speed. Fingers and teeth are elongated. · Threat: · Speed and Coordination: Incredibly fast (comparable to a cheetah at short distances), agile, and can climb walls and jump from heights. They pursue the victim purposefully and tirelessly. · Hunting: Work as scouts for hordes. Their shrill, shrill howl draws the usual "Bounds" to the chase. It is difficult to kill them because of the speed. · Tactics: Require the preparation of traps (pits, tripwires), powerful ranged weapons, or teamwork.

The Hemocord virus turned out to be incredibly plastic. In places of mass accumulation of contaminated, strong radiation or chemical contamination, or in unique conditions (deep mines, underwater objects), specialized forms began to appear. They are rare, but catastrophically dangerous. Mutations occur to this day, but the main mutated species have been identified: Branch 1: Spray Guns (Airborne Specialization)

· Evolution trigger: A virus in an organism that has been in an environment with high humidity and poor ventilation for a long time (basements, sewers, ship holds). · Appearance: The Sprayer's chest and throat are swollen, and the skin is translucent and covered in a network of pulsating capillaries. The lungs and esophagus were transformed into biological reservoirs filled with highly concentrated viral suspension. · Threat: · Attack: Instead of mooing, they make gurgling sounds. When the victim approaches (5-10 meters), they are able to forcefully exhale a cloud of fine aerosol containing the virus. This brings back the airborne route of infection, but on a local scale. · Tactics: Standard bite protection is useless against them. Complete isolation of breathing is required (gas mask, respirator of the highest class). · Environment: Most commonly found in enclosed spaces, turning entire floors or tunnels into death traps.

Branch 2: Weavers / Silkworms (Symbiotic Specialization)

· Evolution Trigger: Infection of an organism with severe fungal or bacterial infections. The virus has entered into symbiosis with aggressive microorganisms. · Appearance: The body is covered not just with necrotic tissue, but with a dense layer of a biological "cocoon" of fast-hardening mucus, chitin and mycelium. They are often sedentary. · Passive Danger: They do not pursue. They transform the environment. The "weavers" secrete sticky filaments and spores, braiding passages, doors, and entire rooms with web-like biomass. · Trap: Touching these "whips" causes severe irritation, and their spores, once in the lungs or on an open wound, lead to an excruciating fungal infection, weakening the victim and making them easy prey for regular "Bounts". · Strategy: They create "hunting grounds" by slowing and poisoning the living. It is difficult to destroy them - the cocoon protects them from most blows. Fire is effective. Branch 3: Prowlers / Hounds (Sensory and Kinetic Specialization)

· Evolution trigger: Infection of a healthy, physically strong person (athlete, military) and the subsequent "race" for live prey in an open area. · Appearance: They maintain a relative "fitness". Their "red threads" are concentrated in the legs, back and visual cortex. They often move on all fours, demonstrating unnatural flexibility and speed. Fingers and teeth are elongated. · Speed and Coordination: Incredibly fast (comparable to a cheetah at short distances), agile, and can climb walls and jump from heights. They pursue the victim purposefully and tirelessly. · Hunting: Work as scouts for hordes. Their shrill, shrill howl draws the usual "Bounds" to the chase. It is difficult to kill them because of the speed. · Tactics: Require the preparation of traps (pits, tripwires), powerful ranged weapons, or teamwork.

The Hemocord virus turned out to be incredibly plastic. In places of mass accumulation of contaminated, severe radiation or chemical contamination, or in unique conditions (deep mines, underwater objects), specialized forms began to appear. They are rare, but catastrophically dangerous. Mutations occur to this day, but the main mutated species have been identified:

Branch 1: Spray Guns (Airborne Specialization) · Evolution trigger: A virus in an organism that has been in an environment with high humidity and poor ventilation for a long time (basements, sewers, ship holds). · Appearance: The Sprayer's chest and throat are swollen, and the skin is translucent and covered in a network of pulsating capillaries. The lungs and esophagus were transformed into biological reservoirs filled with highly concentrated viral suspension. · Attack: Instead of mooing, they make gurgling sounds. When the victim approaches (5-10 meters), they are able to forcefully exhale a cloud of fine aerosol containing the virus. This brings back the airborne route of infection, but on a local scale. · Tactics: Standard bite protection is useless against them. Complete isolation of breathing is required (gas mask, respirator of the highest class). · Environment: Most commonly found in enclosed spaces, turning entire floors or tunnels into death traps.

"Zombies" in the usual sense, but called "Bound" is just a general classification of the infected, but they have been identified as having stages of a single basic biological process:

1. "Hot" (Stage I, 0-24 hours): Recently infected. Body temperature is elevated. They are aggressive, fast, coordinated almost like a living person. They retain fragments of memory (they may try to open the door with a key, knock on the glass).

2. "Weavers" (Stage II, 1-14 days): Classic "walkers". The temperature drops. The skin turns pale, necrosis begins. "Red threads" are visible on exposed areas of the skin (neck, hands). Aggression and speed are reduced, but the force of the bite due to muscle spasm is enormous. They stay in small groups.

3. "Roots" (Stage III, months): Slow, with cracked skin and clearly visible "threads". They often "take root" in places of mass death, becoming a kind of "beacons" for other infected through low-frequency mooing. Their bodies begin to emit chemical signals (the smell of rot and pheromones) that attract others.

4. "Crypts" (Stage IV, years): Rare specimens. A slower metabolism allows them to hibernate in dark, moist places. They wake up from strong vibrations or the smell of fresh blood. Extremely tenacious, covered with fungal plaque.

Feature: "Bounted" does not have a "eat" goal. Their goal is to transmit the virus. They bite and leave the victim, who, rising, becomes a competitor in the search for new carriers. This makes their behavior more unpredictable and dangerous.