Echoing Forest

Creation:
After the initial plan to distribute infected water to the humans failed in the testing phase, Lisa Winters changed her focus to creating a form of parasite which could be distributed through the water system. She succeeded in creating the first official Life Ocean Weapon (LOW), named because it was believed capable of consuming unlimited supplies of water and converting it into organic tissue, a theory which was later disproved.

The LOW was a plant-like lifeform, consisting of vines, roots, and trunks, which was genetically engineered to be able to grow very aggressively, and almost indefinitely, provided it had access to a water supply. After several tests, Winters was able to modify the weapon to be ineffective against Lycans. The creation of this weapon was kept secret from all outside sources, and even many Lycan scientists.

Implementation:
Early into the conquest of the United States mainland, Field Marshall Harris Gartner ordered General Madeline, Colonel Havet LaLaurie, and their troops to infect a wide range of water sources throughout Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, reasoning that these states hadn't received enough Lycan blood shipments, and were in a poor position to evacuate. They infected rivers, water towers, resevriors, and water companies, many of which were done covertly.

The citizens quickly became infected, starting with paralysis, then fleshy, plant-like growths sprouting all over their bodies. While most of their organ systems remained in a semi-functional state, their skin and muscle fused and hardened, and the citizens remained alive until the parasite starved their blood of water. This process sometimes took days to kill the victim, and there were some cases of victims remaining alive weeks after being infected. The bodies remain in a calcified state, albeit preserved, after death. The LOW was active for 16 days before it stopped growing, during which time it killed between 12,400,000 ~ 14,100,000 people. It has since been dubbed the Lycan National Tree.