//INCOMING TRANSMISSION...
//EARTH COUNTER INVASION FORCE INTELLIGENCE BUREAU
//DISPLAYING LATEST INTELLIGENCE REPORT...
This intel file will look at how The Meat infects people and machinery, along with explaining some properties about mutations themselves.
Spores - The Harbingers of Death
From the data we have gathered from infected personnel, we have concluded that The Meat spreads and infects viable hosts through airborne droplets and dust, using "spores" to enter the body. We understand that just one of these spores is enough to start the infection process. The larger the contact area, the faster the infection goes.
Spores retain a red color and are able to turn any liquids they are in to red, as well. It has been observed that at ambient temperatures below negative 10 degrees Celsius, the rate and effectiveness of infection is significantly reduced.
From select operations in clearing affected regions of The Meat, we have observed that monsters formed as a result of infection and mutation by themselves are not capable of infecting others as fast as spores can. Thus, spores are the singular means of any expansive, accelerated infection.
Human Biological Susceptibility
Thanks to the diligent work of our researchers, we can now confirm that not every human is susceptible to Meat infection. According to very rough estimates, our initial results state that approximately 33% of the world's population has definitive immunity to The Meat. Another 33% is purported to be capable of "vaccination" and can be cured of infection under certain conditions.
A Summary on the Moon Base Infection
Reflecting on the events that occurred on the Moon, the primary infection of lunar personnel occurred through the spread of spores through the Tycho Crater Moon Base's ventilation systems. The spores eventually found their way to Earth through meteorites covered with Meat growths and massive congregations of spores. These spores went on to spread across a wide region as the Meat-infected meteorites fell through the atmosphere. It was this series of falling meteorites that caused approximately three-fourths of the inhabited region to become the primary infection zone.
Rate of Infection among Humans
In terms of the rate of human infection, this can vary greatly. In some cases, mutation occurs in seconds, while for others it may take hours or even more than a day. If the infection is slow, then it is indeed possible for a victim to be saved, but only prior to the The Meat consuming most of a victim's body.
Rift Energy
Spores utilize "Rift Energy" to infect victims quickly. Without this, our scientists have determined spores to be quite harmless. However, The Meat, and any physical forms it can take, can still infect an individual without spores or Rift Energy--with close and prolonged physical contact. In the absence of spores and Rift Energy, this type of mutation through physical contact can last weeks or even months, and the mass of any Meat growths on a victim would have to be at least a quarter of the mass of the infected individual. However, infection through physical contact can be significantly accelerated when using Rift Energy, but the rate of infection will still be at least tenfold inferior to infection via spores.
Lunar-Exclusive Spores
One outlying unknown that is still being researched is the fact that the formation of the Meat spores occurred only on the Moon. Further studies and analysis of the situation are still ongoing, and further information on this specific subject is classified.
The Use of Iron
It is known that iron is particularly susceptible to mutation, though on a much smaller scale compared to other substances. The assimilation of iron into a Meat growth would require much more time, resulting in machinations that are viewed as much less modest. In most cases, the actual iron objects and items would remain as they are, but they would undoubtedly become imbued within the living Meat spores.
We can assume, therefore, that The Meat prefers to infect humans due to its limited reserves of Rift Energy. Otherwise, we could further assume that huge swarms of monstrous vehicles, for instance, would have been much more proliferous across the affected cities.
However, if it is possible to infect an individual in the immediate vicinity of a more or less colossal iron object, then there is a relatively smaller chance that said individual will be assimilated into one mutating mass. In such cases, when a living human is consumed within a Meat-infected iron mass, then the assimilation of the iron itself will further accelerate.
Post-Mutation Mass
The mass and volume of flesh can increase significantly after mutation, but we cannot yet explain the nature of this phenomenon. We hypothesize this is due to the Rift Energy inherent in spores. The mutation process will also always result in a "final form," after which the mutation process stops. Separately, it should be noted that monsters formed through mutations do not have any regenerative abilities. So, if, say, one of our soldiers shoots off a limb, a new one would not grow back.
Classification of Human Mutant Types
Humanoid (Small Variants) - Despite the terrible mutation process, it is still possible to distinguish any untouched limbs of the infected individual.
Deformed (Medium Variants) - Mutants of this variant possess obvious and clear deformities, such as giant eyes formed on the individuals legs, or an enlarged head growing out of the ground. It is also known that mutants under this type can be found combined with varying small-sized equipment, or even stationary objects like barrels.
Giant (Large Variants) - In some cases, a mutation combines the bodies of several individuals and one or more pieces of equipment (in rarer cases, even fixed structures themselves) into one organism. Observed sizes of these mutants range from cars to entire buildings.
"Failed" Mutations - We consider these mutants as "Failed" because, in our observations, the infected object(s) brings no benefit to The Meat. For instance, these have been seen with stationary machinery and nonlethal fixtures, like scaffolding.
A more detailed analysis of these monsters, their structure and intelligence will be discussed in a separate intelligence disclosure.
We appreciate the public's attention to this dispensation of information. A following intelligence disclosure will discuss methods to prevent and counter infection.