I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 230: Chapter 13: Optical Instrument Gold Mine (Part 2)

They arrived at a small office in the factory. The walls were covered with various technical drawings and photographs, and the desk was piled high with documents and instrument parts.

Kurt poured them two cups of coffee, then sat down.

"Alright, what’s on your mind?"

Werner didn’t beat around the bush.

"Comrade Kurt, I know you’re conducting optical research, and I also know your team is lacking some Western equipment and technical data." He paused. "I can help you get it."

Kurt’s eyebrows shot up.

"Get it? How? That kind of stuff is all under Western embargo."

"I have my channels," Werner said. "West Germany, Switzerland, France... as long as it can be bought on the market, I can get it."

Kurt stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"Young man, this is no laughing matter. Western optical equipment is on the Paris Coordinating Committee’s embargo list. If you’re caught smuggling this stuff, it’s not a minor offense."

"I’m well aware of the risks," Werner said. "But if I dare to make this claim, it’s because I’m confident I can deliver."

"So what do you want in return?" Kurt asked. "This sort of thing can’t be free."

"I don’t want money," Werner said. "I only hope that in the future, if the Zeiss Factory has any ’surplus’ products, you’ll consider me first."

Kurt froze for a moment, then understood.

"You want to... resell Zeiss products?"

"Not resell," Werner corrected. "It’s a normal business partnership. You know as well as I do that Zeiss products are in high demand. If there are some defective items or samples, rather than scrapping them, why not let them realize their value?"

Kurt was silent for a while.

He certainly understood what Werner meant. Every year, the factory produced some "substandard" products that were supposed to be scrapped according to regulations. In reality, many only had minor flaws and were perfectly functional. If these items could be funneled out, it wouldn’t impact the factory, and they could gain some benefits in return. ’Why not?’

"First, show me what you can do," Kurt finally said. "If you can really get me what I need, we can talk about the rest later."

"No problem," Werner said. "What do you need?"

Kurt stood up, pulled a thick technical manual from a bookshelf, and flipped to a specific page.

"This. The latest optical measuring instrument from Zeiss Ikon, model MEA-3000. West Germany just released it last year. Its measurement precision is an order of magnitude higher than what we’re currently using. And these technical manuals—on multilayer coating technology and aspheric lens processing techniques."

Werner wrote it down.

"How long will it take?" Kurt asked.

"One month."

Kurt laughed, his smile tinged with disbelief.

"Young man, at my age, what kind of people haven’t I met? I’ve seen plenty of braggarts."

"Then you just wait and see." Werner stood up and extended his hand. "I’ll come find you in a month."

Kurt shook his hand but said nothing more.

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

Back in East Berlin, Werner immediately contacted Reynard.

"Reynard, I have an urgent order."

"What goodies do you need this time?" Reynard asked with a laugh from the other end of the line.

"A Zeiss Ikon MEA-3000 optical measuring instrument, plus a few technical manuals." Werner listed the model and book titles. "Can you get them?"

Reynard whistled.

"Well, damn. You’re getting into optical instruments now? This stuff isn’t cheap, and it’s a controlled item."

"Do you have a way?"

"Of course." Reynard paused. "But transportation will be tricky. An instrument this large is hard to hide."

"Ship it disassembled," Werner said. "Break it down into parts and send them in batches through different channels. I’ll reassemble it on my end."

"Alright," Reynard said. "Give me three weeks."

"Two weeks."

"Deal."

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

「Two weeks later, the goods arrived.」

Reynard had disassembled the measuring instrument into over a dozen parts, hiding them in different shipments. They were smuggled in batches through border channels and Carl’s port connections. The technical manuals were disguised as ordinary books, tucked inside a stack of German novels.

Werner spent a full day in his secret office, reassembling the instrument according to the schematics.

Keller watched from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Boss, what is this thing? It looks super advanced."

"An optical measuring instrument." Werner tightened the last screw, then stood up and wiped his hands.

He inspected the instrument one more time, confirmed it was functioning properly, and then called Kurt.

"Comrade Kurt, the items have arrived. When are you free?"

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"You really got it?"

"Of course."

"Then... let’s say this Saturday. I’ll make a trip to East Berlin."

On Saturday afternoon, Kurt appeared at Werner’s secret office.

He was wearing an old jacket and carrying a canvas bag, looking just like an ordinary old worker.

As he entered, he looked around warily.

"Relax, it’s safe here," Werner said. "No one will disturb us."

He led Kurt into the back room and pulled the cloth off the instrument.

The MEA-3000 sat silently on the table.

Kurt was stunned.

He walked over quickly, bent down, and carefully examined every part of the instrument. As his fingers slid over the dials, the eyes behind his glasses grew brighter and brighter.

"This is... a real MEA-3000." His voice trembled slightly. "You really got it."

"I told you I was confident," Werner said, placing the technical manuals on the table as well. "Here is the data you wanted."

Kurt picked up the manuals and flipped through them rapidly. With every turned page, his expression grew more excited.

"Multilayer coating technology... aspheric processing techniques... These are the very things we’ve been trying to figure out!" He looked up at Werner, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How did you get these?"

"That’s not important," Werner said. "What’s important is, are these useful to you?"

"Useful! Of course they’re useful! With these, our research can be shortened by at least two years!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Comrade Werner, I underestimated you before." He extended his hand. "What do you want in return? As long as it’s within reason, I can consider it."

"As I said before, I don’t want money." Werner shook his hand. "I only hope that in the future, if the Zeiss Factory has some ’surplus’ products, you’ll give me priority."

Kurt stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Alright. I understand what you mean." He lowered his voice. "Every quarter, the factory has a batch of ’defective goods’ that are scheduled to be scrapped. I can arrange for that batch to be held back from scrapping and stored in the warehouse for a while. Let me know in advance when you need them, and I’ll arrange for someone to ship them out."

"What kind of quantity?"

"About twenty to thirty items per quarter," Kurt said. "Camera lenses, microscopes, measuring instruments—a mix of things. The ’flaws’ on these items are very minor. They don’t affect functionality, they just don’t meet the factory standard. But they should sell just fine on the market."

Werner quickly did the math in his head.

Zeiss products fetched high prices on the West German market. A single lens could sell for several hundred Marks, and microscopes were even more expensive. Thirty items per quarter meant over a hundred a year. Conservatively, he could earn several hundred thousand West German Marks.

’And this is a long-term, stable source of income, much better than those one-off deals.’

"Deal," Werner said. "From now on, if you need any Western equipment or data, just let me know."

"Good." Kurt nodded, then hesitated. "Comrade Werner, I have one more request."

"Go ahead."

"This instrument... can I take it back to Jena?" Kurt asked cautiously. "I guarantee no one will ever know its origin."

"Of course you can," Werner said. "It was always meant for you."

Kurt’s eyes lit up. He carefully re-wrapped the instrument and packed it into his canvas bag along with the technical manuals.

"Comrade Werner, I owe you a huge favor," he said. "If you need anything in the future, don’t hesitate to ask."

"Then I won’t be shy." Werner smiled. "Next month, I’ll send someone to Jena to pick up the first shipment."

"Alright." Kurt shouldered his bag and turned to leave. "Remember to notify me in advance."

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

Over the next few months, Werner and Kurt’s partnership deepened.

Werner continued to supply Kurt with Western technical data and equipment—the latest coating machines, precision grinders, and optical journals from Germany and Japan. To Kurt, these items were treasures, and they allowed his research to progress at a rapid pace.

In return, Kurt regularly diverted a batch of "defective goods" to Werner.

These so-called defective goods were still highly sought after on the West German market. Werner sold them in West Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, making a huge profit.

After some time, Kurt’s standing within the Zeiss Factory noticeably improved.

Several research projects he led achieved breakthroughs. The factory director personally praised him and even approved more research funding for him.

But Kurt knew in his heart that half of these achievements were thanks to the Western materials Werner had provided.

One afternoon, Kurt made a special trip to East Berlin to see Werner.

"Comrade Werner, I have good news." He sat in Werner’s office, a smile on his face. "The test results for the wide-angle lens we’ve been developing are excellent. The director has decided to put it into production next year, and it’s expected to become a main export product."

"Congratulations," Werner said.

"You deserve credit for this," Kurt said. "We never could have developed it this quickly without the technical data you provided." He paused. "As a thank you, I’ll approve a larger batch of goods for you next quarter. We can double the quantity."

"That’s fantastic," Werner smiled.

"There’s one more thing." Kurt lowered his voice. "I heard Koko is procuring a batch of precision optical instruments for export to the Soviet Union. If you can land that deal, I can put in a good word for you and have the Zeiss Factory prioritize supplying you."

Werner’s eyes lit up.

’A formal deal between Koko and the Zeiss Factory... if I can get involved, I won’t just earn a commission, I’ll also further solidify my position within Koko.’

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Comrade Kurt."

"Don’t mention it." Kurt stood up. "We’re helping each other."

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

「A few weeks later, Anna called unexpectedly.」

"Are you free tonight?" Her voice sounded a bit weary.

"I am. What’s wrong?"

"I want to show you somewhere," she said. "Meet me at seven tonight, in front of the Alexanderplatz Subway Station."

Werner arrived on time.

Anna was driving a black Waltzburg sedan, a standard-issue Stasi vehicle.

She was wearing a dark gray overcoat, her hair tied back in a ponytail, her face a little pale.

"Get in."

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