Chapter 227 - 10: The West German Federal Intelligence Agency Official Held in East Germany (Part 2)

Chapter 227: Chapter 10: The West German Federal Intelligence Agency Official Held in East Germany (Part 2)

Once the call connected, Gunter explained the situation concisely.

He relayed Werner’s concerns, particularly emphasizing that Klaus Weinert could pose a threat to Koko’s procurement channels in West Germany.

"I know we interrogated this man back then," Von Brown’s voice came from the other end of the line. "But that was five years ago. I’ll have to dig up the interrogation records from that time to take a look."

"I suggest we interrogate him again," Gunter said. "If he’s really holding back intelligence, it’s better to dig it out now than to find out after we’ve sent him back."

"Alright, I’ll arrange for the manpower," Von Brown said, pausing for a moment. "But Gunter, you need to be mentally prepared. The interrogation five years ago was very thorough. If we couldn’t dig anything out back then, we might not be able to now."

"There’s no harm in trying," Gunter said. "This deal is on hold for now. I’ll have a word with the Ministry of Justice."

After hanging up the phone, Gunter looked at Werner.

"The Stasi will re-interrogate him. If there really is a problem, you’ll have helped Koko avoid a major headache. If not, the deal will proceed as planned."

"Understood." Werner stood up. "Then I’ll go and handle the other cases on the list."

"Go on." Gunter waved his hand. "Oh, and keep this quiet. Trading political prisoners is sensitive business. The fewer people who know the details, the better."

Werner nodded and turned to leave the office.

Walking down the hallway, his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

Those words he had just spoken sounded so righteous—all for Koko’s benefit, all to prevent their channels from being exposed.

But in reality, he was most worried about his own safety.

If Klaus Weinert returned to West Germany and began investigating West German merchants who did business with East Germany, Reynard would inevitably come under scrutiny.

And following the trail from Reynard would very likely lead back to Werner.

Rather than take that risk, it was better to nip the potential threat in the bud from the start.

As for whether the Stasi could get anything more out of Klaus Weinert, that was up to them.

*************

A few days later, Werner received news: the Stasi had begun re-interrogating Klaus Weinert.

At first, it didn’t go smoothly.

The old spy was a tough nut to crack, insisting that he had confessed everything five years ago and had nothing to hide.

The interrogators tried various methods, using both carrot and stick, but he remained tight-lipped and refused to say anything more.

But the Stasi were not to be trifled with.

They pulled the interrogation records from five years ago, carefully compared them with his testimony at the time, and started probing some minor inconsistencies.

At the same time, they investigated Klaus Weinert’s movements before his arrest and discovered that he used to frequent a certain café in East Berlin. The proprietress of that café was a relative of an East German citizen who had already fled to West Germany.

As they dug deeper into this lead, a hidden intelligence network gradually emerged.

Through the café proprietress, Klaus Weinert had contacted several East German officials working in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and obtained economic intelligence from them. These officials appeared loyal and reliable on the surface but were actually controlled by him through money and threats.

On the fifth day of the interrogation, Klaus Weinert’s psychological defenses finally crumbled.

He gave up three names—two section members from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and a junior supervisor from the Ministry of Finance. For the past few years, these individuals had been leaking East Germany’s trade data and foreign currency reserve status to West Germany.

The Stasi acted immediately, arresting all three of them.

Following the new leads, they unearthed several more peripheral contacts. The entire spy network was uprooted.

When Gunter received the call from Von Brown in his office, a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Well done." He hung up the phone and looked at Werner, who was sitting across from him. "Von Brown said this was all thanks to your vigilance. If we had let that fellow go straight back to West Germany, this spy network might have continued to operate for a long time."

Werner appeared calm on the outside, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just good luck."

"It’s not luck." Gunter stood up and walked to the window. "It’s perspective. You see things from a different angle than others, which is very rare." He turned around. "After this, Von Brown’s opinion of you has risen even higher. And the Stasi have listed you as a high-priority asset to be protected."

Werner knew what this meant. The Stasi’s "special protection," to put it bluntly, meant they would be watching him more closely, but it also meant they would provide more support. As long as he continued to prove his worth, his position within the system would become increasingly secure.

"By the way, about the deal for that Klaus Weinert—"

"It’s canceled," Gunter said. "The Ministry of Justice has already informed West Germany that he will not be released. As compensation, we’ll pick a few more people from the list for them."

"Did West Germany agree?"

"What can they do if they don’t?" Gunter sneered. "This is our turf; we call the shots. Besides, we offered them alternatives. They have no reason to refuse."

Werner nodded.

"Alright, you can get back to work." Gunter waved his hand. "The trades for the others on the list will proceed as normal. You should hurry up and coordinate them."

"Understood."

As Werner left the office and walked down the hall, he heard his colleagues whispering behind him.

"Did you hear? Werner was the one who found the lead on that Klaus Weinert spy ring."

"For real? Hasn’t he only been at Koko for a few months?"

"It’s true. Minister Gunter even praised him. The Stasi are looking at him in a new light, too."

"Seems like there’s more to this kid than meets the eye."

Werner pretended not to hear and kept walking.

He knew that after this incident, his position at Koko was even more secure. It wasn’t just Gunter and Von Brown; even people from other departments would now look at him with greater respect.

But he also knew this was just the beginning.

In this system, if you wanted to climb higher, you had to constantly prove your worth. And every time you did, it came with risks.

**************

One afternoon in mid-March, Werner returned to his secret office.

This place was the base for his Black Market business.

On the surface, it bore a sign that read "East Berlin Material Coordination Center," but in reality, it was where he privately ran all sorts of shady deals.

Although he was now an official employee of Koko, he hadn’t given up his Black Market business. Koko provided him with a legal identity and an official safety net, while the Black Market maintained his extra source of income and flexibility.

The two operations didn’t interfere with each other, but they were mutually supportive.

He pushed open the door and was hit by a wall of smoke.

Several of his men were gathered around an old table, smoking and drinking. Seeing Werner enter, they immediately stood up.

"Boss."

"Everyone’s here?" Werner took off his overcoat and hung it on a hook on the wall.

"Everyone’s here." Keller handed him a glass of liquor. "Business has been good lately. We’ve all been waiting for you to order more stock."

Werner waved his hand, not taking the drink. He walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"I’ve called you all here because I have something to say."