I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 338 Bloody Campus

An oppressive atmosphere permeated the graduate school campus. The ancient buildings, eroded by time, seemed increasingly rusty, as if every brick and stone held a hidden secret. Zhang Wanqing's younger brother, Zhang Chen, hurried down the path leading to the library, soft music blasting from his headphones, trying to dispel his unease. He had just learned that a murder had occurred on campus.

The victim was a graduate student named Gu Xing. His body was found in an abandoned warehouse on campus, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Police initially determined it was a premeditated murder. Zhang Chen was apprehensive. While he wasn't very familiar with Gu Xing, they were acquaintances. He couldn't imagine that this seemingly peaceful campus could harbor such a dark side.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Wanqing rushed to the school. Together with her friends Fu Siyuan and Li Wei, she decided to investigate the case. Fu Siyuan was her partner, having worked together at the newspaper for many years and possessing a strong rapport. Li Wei was a former police officer, and although retired, his investigative skills remained top-notch. The three quickly divided the work: Zhang Wanqing interviewed witnesses, Fu Siyuan gathered clues, and Li Wei analyzed the case.

"Wanqing, take a look at this." Fu Siyuan approached, a serious expression on his face, holding a report. "The forensic doctor's preliminary assessment is that Gu Xing died around 10:00 last night. He had multiple stab wounds, but the fatal injury was a single stab wound to the heart. The murderer was ruthless and clearly well-prepared."

Zhang Wanqing took the report and looked over it carefully. "Did you find anything suspicious?"

"Not yet." Li Wei shook his head. "There were no fingerprints or footprints left at the scene. The murderer was obviously very cautious. However, we found a strange detail. There was a note in Gu Xing's pocket with a string of numbers written on it."

"Number?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "What number?"

"It's a set of coordinates," Fu Siyuan explained. "We've already sent someone to verify it. The coordinates point to a corner of the school library."

"Library?" Zhang Wanqing pondered for a moment. "Let's go and take a look there."

The three of them arrived at the library and found the corner according to the coordinates on the note. There was a row of bookshelves, and behind them was a table with an open book on it. Zhang Wanqing picked up the book and found a photo tucked between the pages. The photo showed a person wearing glasses and looked very ordinary.

"Who is this person?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"I don't know." Li Wei shook his head, "We haven't seen this person."

"Could it be a clue left by the murderer?" Fu Siyuan guessed.

"It's possible." Zhang Wanqing nodded. "Let's take this photo away first and let the technical department see if they can find anything."

Just as the three were about to leave, Zhang Chen suddenly appeared at the library entrance. A hint of surprise crossed his face when he saw Zhang Wanqing and the others.

"Sister, why are you here?" Zhang Chen walked over and asked curiously.

"We're investigating a case," Zhang Wanqing explained briefly. "Have you noticed anything strange at school recently?"

Zhang Chen shook his head. "No, I've been busy writing my thesis lately and haven't been out much."

"That's good." Zhang Wanqing patted his shoulder. "Be careful. This case may be more complicated than we thought."

Zhang Chen nodded and turned to leave the library. Zhang Wanqing looked at his back, and a sense of inexplicable unease suddenly surged in her heart. She always felt that there was a huge secret hidden behind this case.

Zhang Wanqing stood in front of the library, gazing at the abandoned warehouse in the distance, filled with confusion. Gu Xing's death, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirred up ripples. As she investigated further, she discovered that the case seemed to conceal a long-standing mystery.

A thin layer of mist enveloped the Graduate School library, as if the entire world were shrouded in a veil of mystery. Li Wei sat at a table in a corner, a thick pile of files before him. His eyes were focused and penetrating, as if searching for the hidden truth among the yellowed pages. Fu Siyuan and Zhang Wanqing continued their investigation on campus, while Zhang Chen was temporarily detained by the police for questioning.

"Wanqing, take a look at this." Li Wei walked over with a case file, his face solemn. "I just checked, and the way Gu Xing died is very similar to an unsolved case from many years ago."

"A case from many years ago?" Zhang Wanqing took the case file and read it carefully.

"Yes." Li Wei nodded. "The case happened ten years ago. The victim was named Liu Xiang. He was also a graduate student at this university. He died in an abandoned warehouse on campus. He had multiple stab wounds on his body, the fatal wound being a stab to the heart. The forensic doctor determined that the murderer approached Liu Xiang from behind and suddenly attacked him, leaving him with almost no chance to resist."

Zhang Wanqing frowned. "This is almost exactly the same as how Gu Xing died."

"Not only that," Fu Siyuan added, "there was also a note in Liu Xiang's pocket with a string of numbers written on it. The police speculated at the time that this might be a clue left by the murderer, but they never found out what it was."

"Could the murderer be imitating the case from ten years ago?" Zhang Wanqing pondered. "But why would he imitate?"

"That's exactly what we need to find out," Li Wei said. "Based on my previous experience as a police officer, I suspect there may be some connection between these two cases."

"Connection?" Zhang Wanqing raised her head, a glint in her eyes. "You mean, the murderer might be the person involved in the case ten years ago, or someone related to that case?"

"It's very likely." Li Wei nodded. "We need to reinvestigate the case from ten years ago to see if we can find any clues."

At this time, Zhang Wanqing's phone rang. It was her mother calling, asking her about her brother.

"Wanqing, why was your brother taken away by the police? Does this have anything to do with him?" asked my mother.

"Mom, don't worry. The police are just doing their routine work. They have taken away all the students, teachers, and staff. Everyone must be questioned. Also, the police are afraid that murders will happen again, so they have temporarily isolated them to ensure their safety," Zhang Wanqing explained.

"Oh, that's good. I was so worried. If there is any situation over there, please be sure to tell me!" Only then did my mother feel relieved.

"Don't worry, Mom!" said Zhang Wanqing.

Then, Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei quickly took action. Zhang Wanqing was responsible for reviewing the case files from ten years ago, Fu Siyuan contacted the police who were in charge of the investigation at that time, and Li Wei was responsible for analyzing the similarities between the two cases and looking for possible loopholes.