Two Strange Cases

While Lin·Purple Firmament was reviewing the case file of the "High School Girl Chemical Poisoning Case", Wu Guodong was also giving a brief introduction.

He had read this case countless times, so he naturally remembered it very clearly.

"What a pity about this child..."

"As you can see from the information, her name is Zhou Xiaoran. She is a local of C City. She has been learning piano since she was a child and started learning guqin at the age of 15."

"In 1992, Zhou Xiaoran had already shown her talent and was admitted to C City University, where she studied Physical Chemistry and Instrumental Analysis Class 2 in the Department of Chemistry, which was envied by many of her peers."

"Moreover, Zhou Xiaoran is multi-talented. She joined the C City University Folk Music Band and became a key member. In 1994, she won the second prize in the solo group of the National College Art Performance Competition."

"In fact, he is a second-level swimmer in C City."

"Pity..."

Wu Guodong sighed softly.

"I visited their home a few years ago."

"Zhou Xiaoran used to be well-off, but now she is destitute. The paint on the walls has peeled off in some places, and the interior is furnished with the most basic, even dilapidated, items."

"All the furniture combined consisted of chairs, benches, and beds, with the only exception being the 'bookshelf,' which was piled high with various medicines."

"The room next door was even more simply furnished, with only a small bed and a hospital bed, and an oxygen cylinder standing next to it, giving it the feel of a hospital. Zhou Xiaoran's life has been completely changed in order to take care of her daughter; it's really tragic."

With Wu Guodong's explanation and by combining it with the case files she had seen, Qi Zixiao gained a general understanding of the entire case.

The so-called "High School Girl Chemical Poisoning Case" refers to the incident in which Zhou Xiaoran mysteriously developed symptoms of thallium poisoning during her school years, causing great harm to her health, and was finally diagnosed and treated thanks to the Internet.

This is also Hua Nation's first attempt to use the internet for international telemedicine.

Since Zhou Xiaoran had no history of contact with thallium, the police determined it to be a poisoning incident. However, after investigation, the case has gone through several ups and downs, and the murderer is still at large, with no clear result yet.

Furthermore, due to some unusual actions taken by the police during the handling of the case, Zhou Xiaoran's case became a public event, leading to various speculations about the family background of the suspect.

In April 2013, with the solving of the infamous FD Poisoning Case, calls for a thorough investigation into the Zhou Xiaoran case resurfaced, and Chen Wei, the former suspect, also faced widespread controversy from the public.

Two weeks later, a celebrity donated 100,000 yuan to Zhou Xiaoran Foundation.

In addition, several public figures, including celebrities and groups, have also voiced their support.

In May of the same year, Weibo officials blocked keywords related to the case, such as "Zhou Xiaoran," "thallium," and "Chen Wei," and related content was also deleted.

Searching for the keyword "Zhou Xiaoran" on Weibo consistently yields the message "According to relevant laws, regulations, and policies, search results are not displayed."

Two days later, Weibo officially responded, stating that the case could not be solved due to the loss of evidence, and that there was no interference during the process. They called on the public to view the case rationally.

In its official response, the C City police stated that Zhou Xiaoran was hospitalized in December 1994 due to illness, was diagnosed with thallium poisoning on April 28, 1995, and only reported the case on May 5 of the same year.

Because of the nearly six-month gap in between, although the task force conducted a thorough investigation, there was no surveillance footage at the relevant locations, and the traces and physical evidence of the crime had been destroyed, so they still had not obtained direct evidence to identify the suspect.

Police stated that some cases could not be solved due to limitations in investigative conditions and objective factors such as the loss of evidence. They hope the public will view this rationally and respect the principles of investigative work.

As a result, the case was shelved and has remained unresolved for over twenty years.

"Is the person still alive?"

Lin·Purple Firmament spoke, her voice tinged with melancholy.

"Alive".

Wu Guodong gritted his teeth. "I saw her when I went there before. It's a pity that the talented and beautiful female college student from Tsinghua University 23 years ago is now severely paralyzed and completely demented, unable to even take care of herself."

"The once happy and well-off families have now been dragged down and are in a terrible state."

"Tell me, how could someone be so wicked?"

He sighed, "Unfortunately, there's really nothing we can do. Too much time has passed, and there were six months between the poisoning and the report to the police. Six months is enough to erase too much evidence and clues, and we really can't find out anything."

"Back then, we had already exhausted all means."

"Now... more than twenty years have passed, and to solve this case, we must rely on your 'science'."

"Whoa?!"

Lin·Purple Firmament laughed, "So you now admit that what I'm doing is scientific? I thought you would think it was superstition."

"What do you mean by superstition or not?"

Wu Guodong shrugged. "For me now, I don't care about superstition. As long as it works, it's science!"

"At most, it's 'science' that current science can't explain, but perhaps we can call it a more advanced science?"

He said with a hint of smugness, "Tell me, I'm using more advanced science to solve cases, and I've hired someone like you who knows 'more advanced scientific methods' as a scientific advisor. Isn't that scientifically sound?"

Lin·Purple Firmament: "... Science, very scientific! It's just too scientific."

"Right?"

Wu Guodong grinned. "That's what I think, it's definitely very scientific."

"..."

Lin·Purple Firmament chuckled for a moment, then sighed deeply, "This case is indeed regrettable."

A woman of exceptional talent and beauty, she should have had a bright future, but now...

Can it be broken?

When the case was brought up, Wu Guodong's expression turned serious.

What do you think?

Lin·Purple Firmament tilted her head back and said, "I'll take it!"

"And this too!"

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the Two People One Car Mysterious Disappearance Case ".

"This case..."

Wu Guodong hesitated for a moment. "This case is not easy to solve."

"It's really bizarre. Two people in one car, such a big car, you know, it's not like it's a motorcycle or anything, how could it just disappear like that?"

"At the time, almost all the local police officers were mobilized, and a reward was offered, which was considered very high at the time, but still no one could provide any clues..."

"This is really strange, and quite difficult!"

"I'd like to see just how bizarre it is."

Lin·Purple Firmament stated that she does not believe in superstitions.

It's quite difficult? Well, it depends on who you're facing, doesn't it?

Immediately, Lin·Purple Firmament carefully studied the case file and had a clear understanding of the case.

The Two People One Car Mysterious Disappearance Case occurred one day in 1996.

Guo Baokun and Wang Guoqing, employees of the Fendou Plastic Factory, drove a Santana sedan to a used car market in the city to sell it.

This was originally a perfectly normal thing, and back then, the Santana was a source of great prestige.

However, on that very day, the two of them and their car mysteriously disappeared, and there has been no trace of them since.

According to the case file, the police officers in charge of the case at the time invested a lot of manpower and resources in searching for Guo Baokun and Wang Guoqing over the past twenty years, and interviewed a large number of people, but to no avail.

Guo and Wang were both in their early twenties when they disappeared, and their parents have been exhausted over the past two decades because of this.

They promised Great Thanks to anyone who provided valuable clues that helped the police solve the case.

The case file shows that Guo Baokun, male, Han nationality, born in May 1971, is 1.82 meters tall, with fair skin and yellow teeth. On the day he went missing, he was wearing a blue denim outfit, a gray shirt, a brown vest, and brown leather shoes.

He carried with him his salary card from the plastics factory, his ID card, and 1,000 yuan in cash.

Wang Guoqing, male, Han nationality, born on November 24, 1973, is 1.75 meters tall and has a slightly overweight build. On the day he went missing, he was wearing a yellow shirt, a police vest, a blue denim jacket, blue pants, and brown leather shoes.

Guo and Wang were driving a standard Santana sedan with dark gray metallic paint. The sedan had central locking, automatic windows, and all necessary vehicle documents. The license plate number was ****25CM.

The engine number and chassis number are also clearly recorded.

The case file also records that the relevant person in charge of the local branch said that the case of Guo and Wang's disappearance had not been solved for 24 years. They felt ashamed to face the parents and family of the missing persons and said that they would never give up looking for the missing persons.

The official stated that the police are now soliciting clues from the public to solve the case. Anyone who can provide information on the whereabouts of the missing persons or vehicles, or provide clues to solve the case, will be rewarded with 50,000 RMB.

The most bizarre thing about this case is that the person and the car disappeared together. It's easy to understand if the person disappears, such as by dismemberment or burial.

However, to completely remove a car without leaving a trace is truly unbelievable. The investigation is very thorough; it's extremely difficult to completely eliminate any trace of a car.

What should be done with the car?

It boils down to a concentrated approach.

For example, driving it to another place, burying it, burning it, cutting it up, crushing it to scrap, throwing it into a lake, etc...

But here's the problem.

Back then, although there weren't as many cameras, it was still almost impossible for a car to drive a long distance without anyone noticing.

Therefore, going to another place is unlikely, and the police have already checked carefully, so it can basically be ruled out.

So, what about the remaining methods of disposal? Burying it would at least leave traces, right? The car was so big; the police had conducted a thorough search of all possible burial sites, but still found nothing.

Fire? After it burned down, wouldn't there be a metal frame left? Wouldn't there be some related traces?

Cutting, that thing requires tools and makes a sound, right?

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that none of the residents near the crime scene had found any similar traces.

In the lake?

It has been salvaged!

Squeezing and scrapping?

The police have also searched areas with large equipment, but they still haven't found it.

"Well!"

Wu Guodong suddenly sighed, "It was only back then that the conditions were so backward. If it were now, I don't believe we couldn't find out. There are surveillance cameras everywhere, and we could quickly pinpoint the exact location."

"But back then, we could only estimate the location of the crime by human calculation and then investigate one by one. This was like looking for a needle in a haystack, which was too difficult."