Chapter 448: The Bloody Birthday Celebration

Team Three recovered another gun, leaving six still unaccounted for. The day ended with this progress.

The next day at noon, the police received a call reporting gunshots and cries for help in a neighborhood. Team Two immediately headed to the scene, where a crowd of residents had gathered around the building, one man with a bloodied head.

Lin Qiupu approached him, “What happened? Were you shot?”

“No, no, I was in a hurry coming downstairs and fell.”

“What’s going on inside?”

“Wife, do you know?” he asked the woman beside him.

The woman responded, “It seems the folks in 314 were celebrating their elderly mother’s birthday. Suddenly, they started arguing, there was a lot of noise, and then a gunshot. Their youngest daughter was yelling ‘murder!’ from the window.”

“Do they argue often?”

“All the time. That house belongs to the old lady, three bedrooms, two living rooms. Her three children have been passing her around like a burden. None of them wanted to take care of her. Once, she fell on the stairs and called all three, but none came. A neighbor took her to the hospital. She lives alone, struggling to buy groceries and climb the stairs. It’s sad to watch. Recently, we heard the old house is being demolished, and she’ll get over two million in compensation. That’s when her children suddenly started visiting with gifts. Today is her 70th birthday, so they all came. Who knows why they started fighting.”

Lin Qiupu said to Chen Shi, “Let me handle this.”

He prepared himself and approached the apartment. Inside, he heard women and children crying and the crackling sound of something burning. The smell of blood wafted through the door crack. Lin Qiupu spoke into his radio, “Old Zhang, notify SWAT to stand by.”

He knocked on the door. “I’m a police negotiator. May I come in?”

A voice inside said, “Mom, the police are here. Let them in. If you don’t, they’ll force their way in.”

From the tone, it seemed the gunman was the old lady herself.

After a cough, the old lady said, “No one is coming in. This is a family matter.”

The child cried louder. Lin Qiupu continued knocking, “Ms. Wei, is your grandson inside? This is an issue between adults. Don’t involve an innocent child. Let the child out first.”

There was a moment of silence before the old lady said, “Fengfeng, go with the police officer.”

“Grandma, please don’t kill my dad.”

“I won’t hurt him. Don’t be afraid. Go with the officer… Eldest son, open the door!”

The door opened, and a middle-aged man with glasses holding a crying boy thanked Lin Qiupu repeatedly and prepared to leave. The old lady shouted, “Eldest, where are you going?”

“Mom, I’ll be right back after taking Fengfeng downstairs.”

“I said no one leaves until we clear this up… Hand Fengfeng to the officer and come back!”

The eldest son, looking forlorn, handed the crying child to Lin Qiupu. A police officer took the boy, and Lin Qiupu seized the chance to enter.

Inside, besides the old lady with the gun, there were five adults kneeling in a circle. A woman lay on the floor, shot in the chest, her eyes wide open, pupils dilated. Lin Qiupu’s heart raced—there had already been a killing.

Usually, if the hostage-taker had killed, a peaceful resolution was unlikely.

The old lady, in a gray jacket, shakily held a gun. A property deed was burning in an ashtray on the floor, producing acrid smoke. She pointed the gun at Lin Qiupu, “Close the door!”

Lin Qiupu closed the door, showed his badge, “I’m Captain Lin from the Criminal Police Division. We’re here to help resolve this situation. You can tell us your troubles.”

The old lady glared at him and pointed the gun at her eldest son and his wife. They screamed. The old lady said, “Tell the police how you’ve treated me!”

The eldest son trembled, “Mom, you’re making it sound worse than it is. Ever since Dad passed, I visit you whenever I can. There was a time you lived with us, and my wife quit her job to take care of you. As the eldest, I must set an example. I’m not perfect, but I’ve never wronged you… Do we have to make this a big issue?”

“Liar!” The woman kneeling to the old lady’s left interrupted. “Mom has always favored you. When you were job hunting, she pulled strings to get you a job at the bank. But what did you do for her?”

“Don’t lie. I send Mom 500 yuan every month!” the eldest son shouted.

His sister sneered, “Sure, you give her money, but you take more. The family funded your house and wedding, costing over 200,000 yuan, which left nothing for our second brother’s wedding or my education. You always got the best. You mentioned Mom living with you—that was because your wife was pregnant and needed help. Mom ended up staying for four years, helping with your kid. Do you know how she lived? Worse than a maid, in a stuffy attic, climbing stairs to use the bathroom. She asked for a chamber pot, but your wife threw it out because of the smell. Mom even spent her pension to support you. You promised to hire a caregiver but never did. You talk a good game but do nothing!”

Her words left the eldest son embarrassed. The sister pointed at their second brother, “Compared to you, he’s even worse! His wife is a monster. When Mom lived with them, she constantly belittled her. Several times, Mom called me crying. He’s so henpecked, always asking us to compromise, but it’s always Mom who gives in. His wife even hit Mom over trivial things.”

The eldest son, seeing the gun aimed elsewhere, joined in, “Yeah, his wife is a nightmare, always flaunting her wealth while Mom lives like a beggar. Once, Mom had appendicitis, and they left her alone all day while they went out. I had to take her to the hospital. You’re a disgrace!”

Lin Qiupu’s head ached from their grievances. This family’s issues clearly ran deep.