Heat amid the silence
Norton knew his subordinates would never joke about something like this. Without hanging up, he immediately sat up straight and opened his email on the computer.
The email consisted almost entirely of video footage, accompanied by voice-over commentary-or rather, audio recordings from researchers and medical staff.
"The first patient was confirmed dead at approximately two in the morning on the third day after admission. With the family's consent, we performed an autopsy."
The video then continued with footage of the autopsy.
"My God, his lungs and respiratory tract suffered severe burns. A small portion of his lungs even showed signs of charring. I can hardly imagine the agony this patient endured!"
The lungs were removed, and the other organs were examined one after another.
"The first person to recognize the unusual nature of this illness was the medical expert Dr. Aven. His prompt and effective response has kept the second patient's vital signs stable to this day."
By the end of this brief aside, all the organs in the deceased's chest cavity surrounding the lungs had been removed.
"We found that, aside from the severe damage to the lungs, the deceased's other organs had also sustained some damage. However, this was largely limited to peripheral burns caused by exposure to heat, rather than the organs generating heat themselves as the lungs did."
The autopsy concluded at that point, followed by some specimen studies and viral analysis.
"We have now essentially confirmed that this lung fever is not contagious and shows no signs of spreading or migrating to other parts of the body. However, the underlying cause remains a mystery."
Norton frowned and opened several more videos.
"Today, personnel from the Disease Control and Prevention Center, with assistance from the St. Louis police, cordoned off the Bevo