I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 339: Investigating a Murder Case Years Ago

Chapter 339 Investigating a Murder Case Ten Years Ago

"Wanqing, take a look at this." Fu Siyuan walked over with a document, a hint of excitement on his face. "I just contacted the police officer who investigated Liu Xiang's case. He told me that they suspected someone at the time, but ultimately didn't file a case due to insufficient evidence."

"Who is the suspect?" Zhang Wanqing asked anxiously.

"It's a graduate student named Lin Hao," Fu Siyuan said. "He and Liu Xiang were classmates, and there seemed to be some conflict between them. The police once investigated him, but because they had no solid evidence, they ultimately let him go."

"Lin Hao?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "This name sounds familiar."

"I checked." Li Wei said, "Lin Hao is still in this university. He is the school counselor."

"Counselor?" Zhang Wanqing asked in surprise, "How could he possibly have the opportunity to commit a crime?"

"Maybe this is the killer's weakness." Fu Siyuan said, "We can start with him and see if we can find any clues."

The three of them quickly rushed to Lin Hao's office. Lin Hao looked ordinary, wearing a pair of glasses and a kind smile on his face. He received the three of them warmly, but when Zhang Wanqing mentioned the case of Liu Xiang and Gu Xing, his expression changed slightly.

"You doubt me?" Lin Hao's voice trembled. "How could I kill someone?"

"We're just investigating," Zhang Wanqing said calmly. "Are there any conflicts between you, Liu Xiang, and Gu Xing?"

Lin Hao shook his head. "No, I'm not familiar with them. I'm just a counselor, responsible for students' ideological work. How could I possibly have conflicts with them?"

"So what do you think about these two cases?" Fu Siyuan asked.

Lin Hao thought about it. "I think these two cases are very similar. Maybe the murderer is a copycat."

"Copycat?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "Why do you think the murderer imitated the case from ten years ago?"

Lin Hao shook his head. "I don't know either. Perhaps the murderer wanted to attract the police's attention, or to conceal his true identity."

"Maybe." Zhang Wanqing nodded. "We will continue to investigate."

The three of them left Lin Hao's office, but Zhang Wanqing's heart remained restless. She felt that something was amiss with Lin Hao's reaction. He seemed to be hiding something, but she couldn't be sure.

Just then, Zhang Chen suddenly called.

"Sister, something happened here." Zhang Chen's voice was a little flustered. "Gu Xing's roommate suddenly disappeared."

"What?" Zhang Wanqing's heart tightened. "What's Gu Xing's roommate's name?"

"My name is Wang Qiang," Zhang Chen said. "He didn't come to class this morning. I called him, but he didn't answer. I went to look for him, but his dormitory door was open and no one was inside."

"Don't worry." Zhang Wanqing said, "We'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wanqing immediately contacted Fu Siyuan and Li Wei. The three of them quickly rushed to Wang Qiang's dormitory. Wang Qiang's dormitory was in a mess, with books scattered all over the floor and the quilt on the bed torn apart. Zhang Wanqing carefully observed the scene and noticed a strange detail.

"Look." Zhang Wanqing pointed at a set of footprints on the ground. "These footprints are very strange. They don't seem to be Wang Qiang's."

"You mean, the murderer has been here?" Fu Siyuan asked in surprise.

"It's very likely." Zhang Wanqing nodded. "We need to conduct a comprehensive search on campus to see if we can find Wang Qiang."

The three of them quickly took action and began searching the campus. They questioned everyone who might have seen Wang Qiang, but they still couldn't find him. Just when they were at their wit's end, Zhang Chen suddenly discovered a strange detail.

"Sister, look." Zhang Chen pointed to a brick in the corner of the wall, "This brick looks like it's been moved."

"You mean, there is a secret door here?" Fu Siyuan asked in surprise.

"It's very likely." Zhang Wanqing nodded, "Let's give it a try."

The three of them worked together to move the bricks in the corner and discovered a hidden passage. The passage was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Zhang Wanqing turned on the flashlight and walked in carefully. The passage was filled with a damp smell, and each step seemed particularly heavy.

"Look." Fu Siyuan pointed ahead, "There's light there."

The three of them quickened their pace and reached the end of the passage. Before them was a small basement filled with various miscellaneous items. In the corner of the basement, they saw a familiar figure.

"Wang Qiang!" Zhang Wanqing shouted loudly.

Wang Qiang raised his head, a look of fear on his face. "How did you find me?"

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

Wang Qiang shook his head. "I don't know. I was already here when I woke up."

"What is the last thing you remember?" Fu Siyuan asked.

Wang Qiang thought for a moment. "The last thing I remember was reading in the library, and then I don't remember anything else."

"Library?" Zhang Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. "Did you see something you shouldn't have?"

Wang Qiang shook his head. "I didn't see anything. I was just reading."

"Then let's take you out first." Zhang Wanqing said, "We will continue the investigation."

The three of them left the basement with Wang Qiang, but Zhang Wanqing's heart remained restless. She felt that there was a huge secret hidden behind this case, and this secret might be inextricably linked to the case from many years ago.

The Graduate School library was filled with the faint scent of books and the air of time. Zhang Wanqing stood before the bookshelves, her fingers gently sliding across the ancient tomes, her heart filled with doubts. She had just returned from Wang Qiang's dormitory. The hidden basement and Wang Qiang's disappearance made her feel that there was a huge secret behind this case.

"Wanqing, take a look at this." Fu Siyuan came over with a piece of paper, a hint of excitement on his face. "This is the paper we found in Wang Qiang's dormitory. There's a string of numbers written on it."

Zhang Wanqing took the note and read it carefully. On it was a string of seemingly meaningless numbers: 12-34-56-78.

"What does this string of numbers mean?" Zhang Wanqing frowned.

"I checked it out," Li Wei said. "This string of numbers looks like some kind of coordinates, but it's not the same as ordinary geographic coordinates. I think this might be a code."

"Password?" Zhang Wanqing raised her head, a glint in her eyes. "Are you saying this string of numbers might be a hidden clue?"

"It's very likely." Li Wei nodded, "We can try to decipher it."