The Beast (2)
Neuro-disruptive spores. That’s what they called them at P. It wasn’t an official designation, but that hardly mattered. The name wasn't the point. The problem was what those spores were doing to the animals.
The first reports of damage surfaced in the Amazon River basin in northern Brazil. A quiet riverside village. And what descended upon it was a massive swarm of capybaras. Capybaras. The largest rodents in the world. Animals generally known for their docile nature. They’re large, sure, but they’re considered cute and have a certain popularity. But what happened this time completely shattered that perception.
Hundreds, thousands of capybaras swarmed together to attack humans. People were mauled repeatedly by those massive incisors and… died. They died. That was the problem. If the capybaras had just swarmed through, wrecked a few things, and disappeared, it would have been nothing more than a bizarre incident. But that wasn't it. The capybaras attacked the humans as if they were mortal enemies. A fishing village in Brazil, swept over by the capybaras, turned into a living hell, and the survivors were left unable to even describe the horrific carnage.
With the development of social media and global news, the tragedy was transmitted to the world in an instant. Yet, surprisingly, people didn't take it seriously. They just thought, "What a strange thing to happen," and moved on. That’s how it usually goes. No one gets worked up over something like that. The Amazon is a distant place. Brazil and South America are far away. Even if people thought about it deeply, they’d just wonder, "Isn't there some reason we don't know about?" After all, there are countless more ominous things happening in the world.
However, some took it seriously. Those who knew capybaras did. Those who knew that capybaras weren't naturally aggressive animals felt the gravity of this situation. It’s always like that. You only see what you know. To those in the know, this was an event on a level that defied understanding. It was that serious.
But the capybaras were just the beginning. Next, it was the monkeys. The monkeys living in the Amazon. Those monkeys with bright red faces that look particularly terrifying. The monkeys attacked humans. And they did it systematically. Cruelly. It was similar to the capybaras, but the monkeys' attacks had a more sadistic edge. Monkeys use their forelimbs like arms. They use simple tools. Because of that, the monkeys' assault looked almost like a human attack. An unpleasant, terrifying assault. As if they were challenging human authority.
But the monkey attacks weren't treated with much seriousness either. It was just a brief mention in the world news, and then it was gone. Once again, only those in the know considered the situation extremely grave. And they had every reason to. The capybaras and monkeys are completely different species. But monkeys are primates, and humans are primates too. That means they are much closer biological relatives. So, those concerned with such matters approached the monkey attacks with genuine seriousness. The fear that if monkeys could become like that, humans could too. Fear and terror are motivators. They become the driving force for achievement. And P was there, too.
In fact, P had been active since the capybara incident. They were likely the fastest place for updates. And the most vigorously active. The name "neuro-disruptive spores" was coined by P, too. It was literal. Certain spores disrupt the nervous systems of animals. Aggressively. Man, they’re good at naming things. The "acidic mucus spores" from before were intuitive, too. But in the end, the spores are the problem. Is this the revenge of the fungi? Anyway, P started a meticulous investigation into the neuro-disruptive spores. And thanks to the Doctor, I was able to keep updating my own data. The types of fungi that release the spores, the mechanisms of how they affect animal nervous systems, things like that.
P had figured out two things early on. One was that it was currently difficult to create a cure for these spores. It’s always hard to create a cure for anything. Even when the world’s best minds focus on one thing, that’s how it goes. We already learned that from the Wuhan pneumonia. We know how difficult it is. So, unfortunately, P’s personnel couldn't just whip up a cure for these things overnight. And the other thing was that these neuro-disruptive spores could potentially be transmitted to humans. There hadn't been any such cases yet, but they said the possibility was sufficient. The most chilling analysis was that these spores might already be accumulating in human bodies, waiting to manifest at any moment.
Damn it. I don't like that. That’s not the scenario I wanted. Fortunately, there was a preventative measure. They said the neuro-disruptive spores cause neuro-inflammation through the olfactory nerves in the blood or nasal passages. So, they said a nasal spray could prevent more spores from accumulating in the body. In other words, as long as you're still fine and keep up with the prevention, you won't go crazy and run wild like the animals. That’s a relief. I don't want to end up like that. I didn't prepare this hard just to let that happen. So, I’ll prepare. They said that just using a nasal spray with physiological saline could prevent most spore infections. It’s about accumulation. If you wash them away so they don't keep sticking, it’s effective. Anyway, I have something to prepare. Nasal spray, huh. I should stock up on a lot. If the stage comes where neuro-disruptive spores affect humans, there won't be a better trading tool than this.
While preparing the nasal spray, I kept watching the situation. The fact that animals started going crazy meant that the animals exposed to those spores had already reached their limit. So, news like this would definitely become more frequent. My prediction was right. Well, even a smart middle schooler could have made that prediction, so I don't need to feel too proud. In any case, reports of damage from such animals continued to come in from Brazil, and the public's sense of gravity increased a little more.
And then, one day, about a month and a half later, a similar phenomenon occurred in Miami, USA. This time, it was a dog. The dog attacked people like a madman and was eventually shot dead with a hunting rifle. In truth, there was no certainty that spores were the cause. But after that, four more accidents occurred within two days. Naturally, people focused on rabies. That’s the natural assumption. Besides, since similar reactions were appearing in raccoons and other animals, not just dogs, people didn't think of anything other than rabies. That’s why the response was even slower.
However, it wasn't just dogs and raccoons that reacted to the spores. Animals like rats and pigeons also showed reactions to spore infection. It just wasn't widely known. Everyone was focused on rabies. Since I was aiming my scope in that direction, I could see it all at a glance. Plus, I had the Doctor's reports. It was natural for the animals in Miami to show such reactions. The spores that originated in the Amazon would have covered all of Central America on the wind. The reason we hear so much news from Miami is probably because it’s in the US. It’s a place with a vastly higher number of social media users. In fact, news like that was already being heard from countries in the Caribbean. People just didn't know because they weren't interested in that area. In other words, the spores had already spread as far as they could. To the point where it was beyond help.
The Doctor's report contained a lot of that information. Predictions that if it had already spread to Central America, it would have spread to northwestern Africa or western Europe. And even the opinion that if it had ridden the jet stream, it would have been sprinkled evenly across the globe. And the problem wasn't just that. Spores don't just move on the wind. What if they’re stuck in a person's nasal passages? No, it doesn't even need to be in the nose. What if they’re stuck on clothes? On the hem of a pair of pants? What if such a person got on a plane and traveled somewhere? What if they sneezed? No… what if they just walked around? Spores have incredible survival capabilities. And if the conditions are right, they grow anywhere. In other words, neuro-disruptive spores are growing vigorously all over the world right now. It’s just that the spread hasn't been significant enough to cause outbreaks yet.
In the end, the world is effectively on a countdown. There might be a difference in timing, but the spread can't be stopped now. The most fatal thing is that most people don't know about this. I wonder, how many people actually know? Surely research institutions in places like the US must know, right? They couldn't possibly be unaware, could they? The important thing is when humans will be affected. Perhaps it’ll be in a year or two. It could be tomorrow. But the probability of it being tomorrow is low. Ah. If it were people in the Amazon, tomorrow would be possible, though.
I wonder, what will happen when humans are affected? To what extent will the neuro-disruptive spores affect humans? Animals showed aggressive tendencies. Will humans do the same? Or will the "higher" human being be able to suppress those impulsive and aggressive tendencies with patience? Who knows. It’s not like I can test this myself. No, wait. Maybe P is experimenting with it. Those people aren't necessarily "good" people. They’re people who gathered for survival. So, I wouldn't be surprised if they were kidnapping prisoners or whoever they could find to experiment on them. If it’s for their own survival, they’re the kind of people who could easily commit that level of experimentation.
While thinking that, I turned my attention to something else. Why didn't the spore-infected animals attack each other? That’s the truth. If aggression increased, it would be logical to attack their own kind first, as they are the easiest targets. But the capybaras, monkeys, dogs, rats, and pigeons didn't attack their own kind, who were easy targets. Instead, they joined forces to attack other things. Perhaps this is the most troublesome habit. The property that those infected with spores don't attack each other? ...Wait. No. Isn't that actually better? If those infected with spores don't attack each other, I can use that. What if I pretended to be infected with spores? If I could deceive them like that? That’s a pretty good idea. I wonder if anyone has thought of that. Is there anyone at P who has? So, I was about to write an email to ask the Doctor… but I stopped. Let’s leave this for now. I should observe first. It doesn't seem like the time yet.