Chapter 329 - 112: Zeroing Out the Death Deal (Part 3)

Chapter 329: Chapter 112: Zeroing Out the Death Deal (Part 3)

Werner’s hand immediately reached for the pistol in his drawer.

Then he heard Anna’s voice. "It’s me."

He breathed a sigh of relief and got up to open the door.

Anna was wearing a black trench coat, her hair plastered to her cheeks by the rain.

She came in, took off her coat, and frowned when she saw the documents on the desk. "What are you doing?"

"Working." Werner poured her a cup of hot coffee.

Anna took the cup, walked to the desk, and glanced at the files.

She had worked for the Stasi for over a decade and could tell at a glance that this was a plan for a fund transfer.

"A large sum?"

"Three million US Dollars."

Anna sucked in a sharp breath. "Whose money?"

"You don’t want to know," Werner said.

Anna stared at him for a few seconds, then sat down. "Don’t play these games with me. Tell me, what kind of business is this?"

Werner was silent for a moment before lighting a cigarette.

"It’s money from a radical organization," he said slowly. "Von Brown wants me to help them get it out of a Swiss Bank."

"My god." Anna put down her coffee cup. "Werner, you can’t touch this. This is... this is suicide."

"I know." Werner exhaled a cloud of smoke. "That’s why I’m not actually going to help them."

"What do you mean?"

Werner told her about his entire plan to double-cross them.

After she heard everything, her expression was a complex mix of shock and worry.

"Are you really going to do this?" she asked.

"I have to," Werner said, stubbing out his cigarette. "Anna, otherwise this will become a black mark on my record. It’ll cause trouble for me when the reckoning comes."

"So you’re cleaning up that black mark ahead of time."

"Right." Werner looked at her. "I can live with being called a Black Market dealer, or even a profiteer. But I can’t be branded an accomplice to terrorists."

Anna was silent for a moment.

She stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the rain-washed streets outside.

"What’s your plan?" she asked softly.

"The BND will intercept the money, but they won’t make it public. If they did, it would expose their intelligence network in Switzerland. And Von Brown and Samir will just think it was routine counter-terrorism surveillance. They won’t suspect me."

Anna turned around and looked at him. "You’ve really thought this through?"

"I have."

Anna didn’t say anything, she just hugged him tightly.

The two of them stood by the window, listening to the rain outside, neither saying another word.

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

「In mid-November」, Credit Suisse finally approved the request to unfreeze the account.

The reason given was: "Upon review, the business documentation provided by the applicant has been verified as authentic and valid. The grounds for freezing the account are unfounded. The request to unfreeze the account and proceed with the transfer as instructed is approved."

Werner was in a meeting at the Koko office when he received the notification.

He excused himself to take a call, walked to the end of the hallway, and dialed Hans Berner’s number.

"Hans, the account’s unfrozen. Tomorrow, Credit Suisse will transfer the money to you."

"Understood," Hans said. "And then?"

"Wait for my instructions," Werner said. "Once the money arrives, don’t touch it. I need to confirm the final account information."

"Got it."

After hanging up, Werner took a deep breath.

The plan was entering its final stage.

He returned to his office and called Von Brown. "Comrade Colonel, good news. The account’s been unfrozen. The money can be transferred to the intermediary account tomorrow."

The excitement in Von Brown’s voice was hard to hide. "Well done! What’s the word from Samir?"

"I’ll notify him. I expect the entire transfer to be completed within three days."

"You’ve worked hard, Werner," Von Brown said. "Once this is done, the higher-ups will credit you for it."

"I serve them," Werner said before hanging up.

Then he picked up another, encrypted phone and dialed Worner’s number.

"The operation starts tomorrow," Werner said in a low voice. "The money will go to a private bank in Zurich first, where it will be held for 24 hours for a compliance review. That 24-hour period is your window."

"What do I need?"

"I’ve already prepared all the documents—a complete fund flow chart, account information, the money laundering route, and the intel the BND gave me before, proving the money is meant to fund terrorist activities," Werner said. "I’ll give it all to you tomorrow night via the dead drop. What you need to do is give this material to the BND and have them contact the Swiss authorities to intercept the funds before they’re transferred out."

"Is that enough time?"

"It is," Werner said. "As long as the BND acts fast, 24 hours is more than enough."

"Alright," Worner said. "Then, good luck."

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

The next afternoon, Werner received a confirmation call from Hans: the three million US Dollars had arrived.

"The money’s clean," Hans said. "All the compliance procedures at Credit Suisse have been completed. No issues."

"Excellent," Werner said. "According to the plan, transfer it to the final account in 24 hours. I’ll send you the account information."

"Roger."

After hanging up, Werner sat in his office, watching the sky gradually darken outside.

Twenty-four hours to go.

He picked up a manila envelope from his desk—inside were all the documents for Worner. He checked them one last time, confirmed everything was in order, and then stuffed the envelope into his briefcase.

At seven in the evening, Werner left Koko Headquarters and drove toward the Prenzlauer Berg District.

The dead drop was in the basement of an old building there—nominally an abandoned storage room, but actually his and Worner’s intelligence exchange point.

Werner parked his car, scanned his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t being followed, and then entered the building.

The lock on the basement door had been broken for a long time; it opened with a firm push. It was pitch-black inside, and the air was thick with the smell of mildew.

Werner switched on a flashlight, walked to a corner, lifted a loose floor tile, and placed the manila envelope inside.

Then he replaced the tile and turned to leave.

The entire process took less than two minutes.

Back in his car, Werner lit a cigarette, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel.

Now, it was all in Worner’s hands.

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

The next day at noon, Worner’s call came.

"I’ve received the package," he said, his voice calm. "The BND has already initiated the process and contacted the Swiss Federal Police and the financial regulatory authorities. This afternoon, they will freeze that private bank account and then, on suspicion of financing terrorist activities, confiscate the funds into the custody of the Swiss authorities."

"The Swiss authorities?" Werner frowned. "Not the BND directly?"

"The BND can’t take it directly," Worner explained. "But the Swiss authorities will share subsequent disposition rights for the funds with the BND. Understand?"

Werner understood. On paper, it would be a victory for the Swiss Police, but in reality, the BND would get a piece of the pie.

"Good," he said. "And what about on my end?"

"You don’t have to do anything," Worner said. "Just keep pretending you’re waiting for the transfer. When the time comes, Hans will tell you the account has been frozen. You just act shocked and furious, then pass the news on to Von Brown and Samir."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it." Worner paused. "Werner, you won your bet this time. The higher-ups at the BND are very pleased with your intelligence. They said you prevented a major terrorist attack at a critical moment."

Werner smiled. "So if I need protection in the future..."

"They’ll consider it," Worner said. "But remember, don’t get too greedy. Something like this is a one-time deal."

"I know."

At 4:15 PM, a call came from Hans Berner.

He sounded extremely panicked. "Mr. Betelich! Something’s happened!"

"What is it?" Werner asked, feigning composure.

"The account’s been frozen! The Swiss Police just came to the bank, said the money is suspected of financing terrorist activities, and demanded an immediate freeze!"

"What?!" Werner raised his voice. "How could this happen? Didn’t you say all the compliance procedures were passed?"

"I don’t know!" Hans sounded like he was about to cry. "The police said they received a joint tip from Interpol and the BND, claiming the money is linked to some terrorist organization in the Middle East!"

"Dammit!" Werner slammed his hand on the desk. "So what do we do now?"

"I... I don’t know either. The police said they’re launching a full investigation and might confiscate the money. Mr. Betelich, I did my best, but this... this really isn’t my fault!"

"I know." Werner took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound both angry and helpless. "You just hold steady over there. I’ll go explain things to the client."

After hanging up, Werner sat in his office for five minutes, letting his emotions settle.

Then he dialed Von Brown’s number.

"Comrade Colonel, bad news," Werner’s voice was heavy. "The account has been frozen by the Swiss Police."