Areal 1: Infection by Sergey Tarmashev
The story begins in 1991, when an unknown cosmic object enters Earth’s atmosphere and breaks apart. Its fragments fall into the remote taiga of the Komi Republic, triggering a powerful energy release. As a result, an anomalous Zone forms deep in the forest—dangerous, persistent, and rapidly expanding.
This Zone, soon called the Areal, possesses strange properties:
deadly anomalies appear, unpredictable and extremely dangerous to humans;
local flora and fauna mutate into aggressive forms capable of killing people;
unique “X-oil” and unusual artifacts are discovered in the soil, violating the known laws of physics.
The government establishes RAO “Areal”, a powerful organization tasked with exploiting the anomalous resources. The main character, Captain Ivan Berezov, a former Alpha Group special forces operative, is assigned to its Special Operations Detachment.
The plot follows Berezov and his comrades as they confront the dangers of the Zone: lethal mutants, deadly anomalies, tangled corporate and state interests, and individuals seeking to exploit anomalous resources at any cost. The heroes must survive, fight, and search for answers about the true nature of what is happening within the Areal.