Chapter 327 - 110: Clearing the Deadly Transaction

Chapter 327: Chapter 110: Clearing the Deadly Transaction

When Werner found Gunter, he was in his office, drinking.

Seeing Werner walk in, Gunter gave a bitter smile. "You know everything?"

"Why didn’t you tell me?" Werner sat down.

"Because it’s top secret," Gunter said, pouring a drink and handing it to Werner. "Comrade Anger gave the order personally. Those modules are the latest generation, more advanced than any technology the Soviet Union currently possesses. If we send them all to Moscow, the benefits we’d get would be pitiful."

"So you hid them for yourselves."

"That’s right." Gunter nodded. "Comrade Anger has come to understand something—we can’t be the Soviet Union’s workhorse forever. He promised the people a better standard of living, but we can’t achieve that by relying on handouts from the Soviets. We have to develop our own industry, and we must hold on to some core technologies."

He took a sip of his drink and continued, "But I never thought the KGB would find out this fast."

Werner was silent.

He understood Anger and Gunter’s reasoning. East Germany had indeed been slaving away for the Soviet Union, forced to hand over most of the foreign currency it earned and share any technology it acquired. It was only natural for East Germany to feel resentful.

But he also knew that if this little scheme were discovered, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Where are those modules now?" he asked.

"In Koko’s Warehouse Three, disguised as scrap parts," Gunter said. "Why? Are you going to tell the KGB?"

"No." Werner shook his head. "I’m going to use them."

"Use them?" Gunter was confused.

"Yes." A glint flashed in Werner’s eyes. "Since the KGB wants to investigate, I’ll give them something to investigate. But it won’t be the real thing—it’ll be something I’ve designed."

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

Three days later, Werner arranged a meeting with "Mr. Smith" in West Berlin.

This time, the meeting wasn’t in Vienna, but at a jazz bar in West Berlin.

The bar was near Kurfurstendamm Street, with luxurious decor and a clientele of middle-class West Berliners and foreign tourists.

Werner, dressed in a tasteful suit, sat at the bar and ordered a whiskey. On stage, a Black singer crooned an old jazz standard, his voice low and sultry.

"Mr. Smith" arrived right on time and sat down beside him.

"Mr. Schmidt, we’re very interested in the intelligence you’ve provided," Smith said, getting straight to the point. "This KGB smuggling post in Budapest—how reliable is the information?"

"Seventy percent true, thirty percent false," Werner said, taking a sip of his drink. "The post does exist, and the KGB is definitely using it to smuggle Western technology. But as for the specific operational details, I’ve taken a few... artistic liberties."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you act on the information I gave you and take down that post, you’ll succeed. But the KGB will know there was a leak." Werner turned to look at Smith. "And that’s exactly what I want."

Smith’s eyes narrowed. "You want the KGB to think they have a traitor in their ranks."

"More than just suspect." Werner smiled. "I’ve also prepared some evidence that points to a specific person."

"Who?"

"Kuznetsov’s second-in-command, a KGB lieutenant colonel named Ivan Petrov," Werner said. "The man’s been trying to climb the ladder lately, looking to replace Kuznetsov. If this business in Budapest gets exposed, he’ll be the first person Kuznetsov suspects."

Smith gave Werner a long, hard look. "You’re using us to take out one of the KGB’s own."

"I have no choice." Werner shrugged. "The KGB is breathing down my neck, demanding I report every transaction. If I don’t find a way to distract them, they’ll uncover the truth about me sooner or later."

"Besides, this is mutually beneficial. You get to destroy a KGB smuggling post, weakening their ability to acquire technology. I get the KGB embroiled in a dog-eat-dog fight, which takes the pressure off me. A win-win."

Smith was silent for a moment, then laughed. "Mr. Schmidt, you’re becoming more and more interesting."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Smith raised his glass. "Then here’s to our successful partnership."

"To our success." Werner clinked his glass with him.

They both drained their glasses.

***********

A week later, the KGB smuggling post in Budapest was raided by Hungarian police.

A large quantity of Western technical equipment was seized at the scene, including semiconductors, precision instruments, and some military communications gear.

Werner learned of the investigation’s progress through Anna’s channels.

Just as he’d predicted, Kuznetsov’s first suspicion was a traitor in their midst.

And the carefully fabricated evidence successfully directed all suspicion toward Ivan Petrov.

Petrov was recalled to Moscow to be investigated.

Although they never found conclusive evidence, his career was ruined. And because of this failure, Kuznetsov’s own standing within the KGB was shaken.

More importantly, Kuznetsov was now preoccupied with internal affairs and, for the time being, couldn’t spare the attention to keep an eye on Werner.

A month later, Werner received a call from Kuznetsov.

"Comrade Betelich, has Koko made any new deals recently?" Kuznetsov’s voice sounded weary.

"A few," Werner said. "Importing a batch of chemical raw materials from the Netherlands, buying some machinery from France. All routine transactions."

"Mmm." Kuznetsov paused. "Comrade Betelich, I’m returning to Moscow for a time. Supervision of Koko will be temporarily handled by our comrades in the Berlin office. Just continue to cooperate as usual."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Werner leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

His gamble had paid off.

By leaking information about the Budapest post to the CIA, he had successfully thrown the KGB into internal chaos and diverted their attention from himself. At the same time, he had also proven his value to the CIA: only he could maintain the delicate balance between the United States and the Soviet Union, providing genuinely valuable intelligence without completely alienating either side.

After this operation, the CIA’s attitude toward him changed noticeably.

In their most recent meeting, Smith had mentioned Washington’s assessment of Werner: "He’s an asset worth a long-term investment."

This meant Werner’s position with the West was now more secure.

He now had another card to play for his survival.

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

In October 1978, the autumn in Berlin was colder than usual.

Werner stood in his office on the twelfth floor of Koko Headquarters, looking out the window at the distant TV tower.

Under the overcast sky, the tower’s spire appeared exceptionally bleak, much like the city itself.

He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his index finger tapping lightly against its side.

It was a habit he’d developed over the years—whenever he had to make a major decision, he would hold a cigarette but not light it. Anna said it made him look more like a philosopher deep in thought than a businessman.

But the problem he was contemplating today was far more perilous than any philosophical question.

The phone had rung half an hour earlier. It was Von Brown. "Three p.m. tomorrow. Adler Cafe. An important client wants to see you."

Adler Cafe—the one near Checkpoint Charlie, in the gray area between East and West Berlin. Any client who could meet there was bound to be someone of consequence.

Werner glanced at his watch. It was 2:45 p.m.

He put on his dark gray wool overcoat—West German made, but discreet enough—and walked out of his office.

His secretary looked up. "Comrade Werner, about tonight’s department meeting..."

"Postpone it until tomorrow," Werner said without turning back.

"But Director Gunter said..."

"Tell him I’m handling an urgent procurement." Werner stopped and looked back at the secretary who had been with him for five years. "Some things don’t need to be on the record. Understand?"

The secretary froze for a second, then nodded. She had worked at Koko for twelve years; she knew perfectly well what to ask and what not to.

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

The air in the cafe was filled with the mixed aroma of coffee and tobacco.

When Werner pushed open the door and walked in, Von Brown was already seated in a booth by the wall. Across from him sat a stranger.

The man was in his early forties, dressed in an exquisitely tailored dark blue suit, his hair impeccably combed.

"Comrade Werner." Von Brown stood, a practiced smile on his face. "This is Mr. Samir."

’Samir’—clearly an alias. Werner extended his hand. "A pleasure."

Samir’s handshake was firm but brief. He sat back down and said in heavily accented German, "I’ve heard a great deal about you, Mr. Betelich. They say you’re the most resourceful man in East Germany."

"You flatter me." Werner sat down beside Von Brown. "How can I help you?"

Von Brown poured Werner a cup of coffee and cleared his throat. "Mr. Samir represents an important partner. They have some... business interests... in the Middle East that require our assistance."

"What kind of business?"

Samir pulled a manila envelope from his briefcase and pushed it across the table to Werner. "My organization has funds at Credit Suisse—three million US dollars. But due to some... technical issues, the money has been frozen."

Werner opened the envelope. Inside was a stack of photocopied bank documents.

He scanned them quickly. The account holder was a shell company registered in Liberia. The source of funds was listed as "trade settlement," but the reason for the freeze was "suspected violation of anti-money laundering regulations."

"You want me to get this money out?" Werner asked, looking up.

"Yes." Samir nodded. "We’ve heard the Koko Group has an extensive financial network in West Germany. You have ways of doing things, don’t you?"

Werner pushed the documents back. "This is no small sum. And Credit Suisse isn’t some corner bank. They must have had a reason to freeze the account."

"Of course there’s a reason." Samir leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette. "It’s because the Americans applied pressure. They claim our organization funds terrorist activities."