PG Virus

July 6th, 2016: The Day Pokemon Evolved into Predators

Remember Ingress? The augmented reality game that once had humanity divided, painting the world with green and blue fields? Its legacy isn't just in faded scanner screens and abandoned portals. On July 6th, 2016, a hack at a Niantic Project facility unleashed a nightmare, forever twisting the game's code and birthing the PG Virus.

This invisible menace, carried on airborne spores dubbed "Pokemon," rewrote the very meaning of "portal." The once-neutral landmarks mutated into pulsating infection hotbeds, christened Pokestops. Worse, the virus had a horrifying agenda: converting Ingress agents, both Enlightened and Resistance, into mindless, ravenous husks.

The streets became hunting grounds. The infected, driven by insatiable hunger, stalked shadows, their vacant eyes seeking new victims. Their weapon? Not teeth or claws, but their trainer profiles. A mere glance, a fleeting tap on the glowing screen, and the virus would burrow into the unsuspecting victim, igniting an insatiable desire to "catch them all." This addiction, slow and insidious, was the first stage of infection.

For years, the world teetered on the brink. Every portal, once a beacon of technological wonder, became a potential predator. Cautious agents, cloaked in the shadows, ventured out, reclaiming portals in desperate bids to contain the PG Virus. It was a constant struggle, a grim echo of the old Ingress battles, but with stakes far higher than territory.

But time, the great equalizer, played its role. As the initial hype of the virus faded, so did its hold on the infected. Slowly,painstakingly, the numbers dwindled. Pokestops flickered out, abandoned battlegrounds reclaimed by nature. Humanity,battered but unbroken, emerged from the PG Virus's shadow, its scars a grim reminder of the day Pokemon became our predators.

Yet, even in the ashes of the PG Virus, whispers of another threat surface. The MHN (Monster Hunter Now) virus, they call it. Rumors speak of augmented creatures tearing through the wilderness, drawn by the remnants of Niantic Project technology. But whether this is a mere echo of the past or a harbinger of a new nightmare remains to be seen.

One thing is certain: the world shaped by Ingress is forever changed. Its scars, physical and psychological, serve as a cautionary tale. A testament to the thin line between game and reality, and the unpredictable consequences of tampering with the fabric of our world. For in the shadows where once we battled for glyphs and fields, a new danger may wait,lurking, ready to prey on the echoes of past mistakes.

The story of the PG Virus is a chilling reminder of the potential dangers of technology gone wrong. As we continue to push the boundaries of augmented reality, we must tread cautiously, remembering the lessons learned from the day Pokemon became predators.

To be continued...