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墨書 Inktalez
This is one of the prototype cases depicted in the television series "Beginning," and it stands as one of the most devastating incidents since the founding of the nation—the Bus Explosion Case.
Tragically, this case did not unfold like a drama, revealing the truth through repeated cycles; instead, it resulted in a catastrophic explosion that claimed 16 lives and left over 30 injured.
In an effort to uncover the cause of the bus explosion, relevant authorities dispatched four experts from the "Criminal Investigation Eight Tigers." As various suspicious clues emerged, the truth of the case turned out to be beyond anyone's expectations, with one of the perpetrators' identities remaining a mystery until the very end.
Date of Incident: February 14, 1998.
Location: Wuhan.
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This day marked Valentine's Day in the West, but for those living in Wuhan, there was no sense of romance in the air; instead, an eerie atmosphere permeated everywhere.
At that moment, buses had become a psychological shadow for all Wuhan residents. Most people preferred to spend extra money on taxis rather than ride public transport.
Strangely, bus drivers did not seem troubled by this at all. In fact, they refused to allow anyone with luggage or bags onto their buses and immediately reported any suspicious-looking individuals to the police.
What was going on? It turned out that around 10 AM that day, a deafening explosion erupted on the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. Terrifyingly, after the blast, not only was there thick black smoke and flames shooting into the sky, but inexplicably, it began to rain lightly.
Nearby pedestrians looked up to find that what was falling upon them was not raindrops but a blood-red substance resembling pieces of flesh.
Panic ensued as everyone screamed in terror upon witnessing a hellish scene surrounded by flames—mangled limbs and dismembered bodies littered the ground, while parts of a severed thigh and half a hand hung from nearby vehicles. The sight was utterly horrific.
At that moment, a chorus of anguished cries jolted these terrified onlookers back to reality. They finally realized that this devastation had been caused by a bus explosion.
As they watched several people engulfed in flames rush out from the bus doors, the crowd could no longer contain their fear and rushed forward. Unfortunately, due to the intensity of the fire, they could only stand helplessly by as those individuals were consumed by flames.
Meanwhile, relevant authorities arrived at the scene and quickly began rescue operations for the injured.
After an initial investigation, police confirmed that this was not an accident but rather a deliberate act involving explosives. Shockingly, after multiple searches, authorities recovered as many as 214 human remains and fragments, indicating that the number of victims would undoubtedly be high.
Due to the particularly serious nature of the case, the Ministry of Public Security dispatched four experts from the Criminal Investigation Eight Tigers to quickly identify the perpetrator. They were: Gao Guangdou, an explosives analysis expert; Choi Doo-sik, a trace identification expert; Xu Limin, a fingerprint recognition expert; and Wu Guoqing, a physical evidence trace expert.
Upon their arrival in Wuhan, the four experts immediately led the police in conducting thorough investigations around the scene. They quickly established several key points.
First, the explosive used was ammonium nitrate, weighing approximately 10 kilograms. In the 1990s, TNT was commonly used for blasting, suggesting that this case leaned more towards being a criminal act.
Second, no remote control or timed detonation devices were found at the scene; instead, remnants of ignited fuses were discovered. This indicated that the explosives were detonated inside the vehicle using fuses.
Through their investigation, the police first ruled out the driver and the ticket seller as suspects. Explosives expert Gao Guangdou confirmed through repeated examinations that the center of the explosion was likely beneath a single seat on the left side of the bus in the second-to-last row. At that time, it was impossible for the driver to have detonated the explosives while driving.
The ticket seller was fortunate to have escaped injury because he was selling tickets at the front of the bus during the explosion, with someone standing in front of him.
So who could have detonated the explosives? According to the ticket seller's recollection, there was a suspicious man resembling a laborer sitting in the back row of the bus. He appeared nervous when he boarded and was carrying a heavy Snake Skin Bag.
Although the ticket seller provided a potential suspect, there was no sign of him among the survivors. Therefore, to identify him, police first needed to confirm the identities of the victims.
After two days and nights of effort, technicians pieced together 214 fragments of varying sizes to reconstruct 16 bodies. This meant that there were a total of 16 victims in this Bus Explosion Case. As identification efforts progressed, 14 of those deceased were confirmed.
To investigate potential suspects, the four experts conducted interviews with survivors to roughly reconstruct where passengers were seated before the explosion. After repeated analysis, they ruled out those 14 deceased individuals as suspects and believed that one of the remaining two unclaimed bodies must be involved.
These two bodies, marked as number 10 and number 11, had very distinct characteristics: both were located far from the explosion's center—26 meters and 31 meters away—indicating that they experienced the strongest shockwave at that moment.
Strangely enough, police found these two bodies positioned in opposite directions: one in the northeast and one in the southwest. The experts theorized that at that moment, both individuals must have been on either side of the explosives; otherwise, they would not have been thrown in completely opposite directions.
The autopsy report revealed that body number 11 had its chest and right hand blown apart, with its head also severely damaged. However, its left hand remained intact and unharmed.
This suggested that body number 11 was likely crouching at that time, with its left hand facing away from the explosives while it seemed to be using its right hand to ignite a fuse. This would explain why its right hand was blown off while its left hand remained unharmed due to being on the opposite side of its body.
Body number 10 appeared to be seated; with explosives positioned next to its right leg and its upper body directly above them. Its body and jaw had been shattered by the blast, leaving only its left leg relatively intact.
Based on the analysis of the scene and the autopsy report, experts created a diagram depicting the positions of the two individuals at the time. It was evident that when Individual 11 bent down to ignite the fuse, Individual 10 could not have been unaware of it. The four experts speculated that the two were likely working together, making it crucial to identify them.
During the analysis of residual materials at the scene, police discovered several incomplete identification cards. Upon investigation, one male ID belonging to a person named Tang Ximing had not been matched with any of the bodies, indicating that this ID likely belonged to either Individual 10 or 11. In 1998, it was required to register with an ID when staying in accommodations in Wuhan.
Consequently, the police immediately conducted an investigation into hotels and guesthouses across the city. They found a record of Tang Ximing staying at a guesthouse in Qiaokou District, and he did not check in alone; he was accompanied by another individual named Qi Qing County.
According to staff recollections, the two checked in on the afternoon of February 13 and left around 9 AM on February 14. The guesthouse was only a few minutes' walk from the bus stop, providing ample time for them to board.
Crucially, police found a fuse in their room that matched the composition of the fuse remnants at the crime scene. Clearly, Tang Ximing and Qi Qing County were prime suspects in the case.
To further confirm their identities, police launched an in-depth investigation into their associates. However, when they arrived at Tang Ximing's hometown, they encountered an unexpected situation: Tang Ximing was alive and well. It turned out he had lost his ID two years prior, and it was impossible to determine who had picked it up or stolen it.
With no other options, police turned their attention to Qi Qing County, only to discover that he too was alive and well. This meant his identity had also been stolen. However, Qi Qing County excitedly recognized one of the deceased as Cao Jun.
According to Qi Qing County, he had lent his ID to Cao Jun last year. Later, Cao Jun claimed he had accidentally lost it and compensated him with 50 yuan.
Disappointingly for the police, further investigation revealed that Cao Jun was merely an alias; no one knew his true identity. The only useful lead came from Qi Qing County stating that he had worked at a hotel in Wuning County in January 1998.
The police then proceeded to that hotel in hopes of uncovering more information about Cao Jun. To their surprise, the hotel owner not only recognized one of the deceased as Cao Jun but also identified another deceased individual using Tang Ximing's identity as Wu Changli, whom he knew as the son of an acquaintance. However, he could not provide any specific details about Cao Jun.
To confirm whether one of the deceased was indeed Wu Changli, police quickly located his mother. Although DNA testing could only be conducted in Beijing and Shanghai at that time, due to the significant impact of this case, police swiftly obtained testing authorization—otherwise, they would have faced a waiting period of over six months.
The DNA results confirmed that one of the deceased was indeed Wu Changli.
Wu Changli had previously worked in a tungsten mine in Wuning, Jiangxi, where he was responsible for installing explosives. Not long before the incident, he purchased 10 kilograms of explosives from a coworker. Forensic analysis confirmed that the explosives and detonators he bought matched those found at the scene.
In the rental apartment where Cao Jun had lived, police also recovered his fingerprints, which confirmed that he was another victim.
Experts have concluded that the bus explosion case on February 14 was orchestrated by Wu Changli and Cao Jun together. However, it remains impossible to ascertain who Cao Jun truly was, and their motives for committing the crime cannot be verified; they can only be speculated based on available information.
Some believe that Wu Changli may have sought revenge out of a sense of despair and nihilism. Friends reported that in the months leading up to the incident, he had been dating a woman who eventually rejected him due to his financial situation and started seeing another man. This rejection deeply affected Wu Changli, leading him to express intentions of blowing up trains and cars as an outlet for his frustration.
If this was Wu Changli's motive, why did Cao Jun choose to accompany him? Some speculate that they may have shared a romantic relationship. During their time working together, they reportedly shared a bed and smoked together, suggesting a close bond.
Upon learning of Wu Changli's plans for revenge, Cao Jun may have decided to join him in this tragic act on Valentine's Day.
However, these remain mere speculations without any concrete evidence to support their relationship. While both individuals exhibited behaviors characteristic of extreme violent crime, often driven by feelings of despair or anger, no justification exists for harming innocent people as an act of revenge against society.
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