I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 247: Chapter 30: Omen of the Prague Spring

Seven P.M. Stasi Headquarters.

Werner arrived at the Stasi Headquarters building.

Von Brown’s office was at the end of the hall.

Werner knocked on the door.

"Come in," Von Brown said without looking up.

On the office wall hung a portrait of Ublis and a map of East Germany.

Von Brown sat behind his desk, reading a report. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Comrade Von Brown, you were looking for me?" Werner asked, stepping inside and closing the door.

Only then did Von Brown look up.

"Sit," Von Brown said, gesturing to the chair opposite him.

Werner sat and took the document from Moscow out of his briefcase, pushing it in front of Von Brown. "This is what I saw yesterday. It felt wrong."

Von Brown took the document, glanced over it carefully, then looked up, his expression turning complex. "Werner, how did you deduce a major personnel change in Moscow from a simple change in signatory?"

Werner leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette.

He deliberately exhaled a slow stream of smoke, letting the atmosphere settle for a few seconds before speaking.

"Comrade Von Brown, you’ve worked at the Stasi for many years. You should know that some things aren’t about what’s on the surface, but about the rhythm."

"Rhythm?"

"That’s right." Werner flicked his ash. "Documents from Moscow usually arrive on Tuesdays and Fridays. But this one came on a Wednesday, and the signatory was different—not a normal duty rotation, but a sudden replacement. What does that tell you? It means someone didn’t have time to sign, or couldn’t sign."

Von Brown stared at him, saying nothing.

"And there’s another detail," Werner continued. "The official seal on this document is slightly off-center. That means it was stamped in a hurry. When are the bureaucrats in Moscow ever in a hurry? Only when something big is happening."

The look in Von Brown’s eyes changed.

He picked up the document and examined the seal. Indeed, its position was slightly off.

"So you concluded it was a personnel change at the highest level?"

"Not entirely," Werner said, shaking his head. "I also heard some... whispers."

"What whispers?" Von Brown’s gaze sharpened abruptly.

Werner knew the crucial moment had arrived.

He couldn’t be too specific, but he couldn’t be too vague either.

"In my years at Koko, I’ve dealt with many trade officials from Moscow," Werner said slowly. "I’m on good terms with a few of them, and they occasionally let slip some... internal news. The atmosphere in Moscow has been very tense for the last two months. Some say there’s a rift in the Politburo, others that Khrushchev’s reforms have gone too far."

Von Brown lit a cigarette, his eyes fixed on Werner. "So you put all this information together and predicted he was on his way out?"

"I just thought it was a possibility," Werner said with a shrug. "I didn’t expect it to actually happen."

Von Brown stared at him for a long time, so long that Werner started to feel a chill run down his spine.

"Werner," Von Brown finally said, his tone slow. "Your connections in Moscow run deeper than we imagined."

"I just pay close attention to details," Werner said modestly.

"Don’t be modest." Von Brown suddenly smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "To be able to predict a decision by the Soviet Politburo 24 hours in advance... there are fewer than ten people in all of Eastern Europe who can do that."

Werner said nothing, just smoked his cigarette slowly.

"Do you know what the higher-ups are saying about you?" Von Brown stood and walked to the window. "They’re saying that Werner Betelich might have a very high-level intelligence source in Moscow. Perhaps a deputy minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, or even higher."

Werner’s heart tightened, but his expression remained impassive. "Comrade Von Brown, I’m really not that capable."

"Then how do you explain the accuracy of your prediction?"

"Experience," Werner said flatly. "I learned one thing after all my years scrambling around the Black Market: see which way the wind is blowing. When the wind changes, you have to change with it. The winds in Moscow started shifting months ago; most people just didn’t notice."

Von Brown stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Good. Very good." Von Brown walked back to his desk and clapped Werner firmly on the shoulder. "Werner, regardless of where your information came from, you’ve performed a great service this time. The higher-ups have decided to grant you a commendation."

"Thank you for your guidance, Comrade Von Brown," Werner said, standing up.

As he walked out of Stasi Headquarters, Werner took a deep breath of the cold Berlin night air.

「Step two, complete.」

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

The next day, in Gunter’s office.

"Werner." Gunter stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. "Von Brown gave me a call yesterday."

"Oh?"

"He said you predicted the change in Moscow ahead of time." Gunter turned around, his expression complicated. "And with an accuracy of within 24 hours. The entire Stasi is talking about you now."

Werner didn’t speak, just waited for Gunter to continue.

"Do you know what this means?" Gunter walked up to him. "It means you have an extremely deep network in Moscow. So deep that many of us weren’t even aware of it."

"Director Gunter, I just—"

"No need for explanations," Gunter cut him off, but his tone wasn’t angry. On the contrary, it was almost excited. "Werner, I’ve been watching you for the past few years you’ve been at Koko. You’re very smart and very capable. But I never imagined your network ran this deep."

Werner relaxed internally. ’It seems Gunter bought it, too.’

"I just pay close attention to details," Werner said modestly.

"Pay attention to details?" Gunter laughed. "Deducing that the supreme leader of the Soviet Union is about to step down from a change in a document’s signatory—you call that ’paying attention to details’? Werner, you’re being too modest."

Gunter walked behind his desk and picked up a file. "The higher-ups held a meeting to discuss your situation. They unanimously agree that your intelligence source in Moscow is extremely valuable. Effective today, you have an additional responsibility: monitor developments in the Soviet Union closely. If you have any important intelligence, report directly to me."

Werner nodded. "Understood."

"Moscow has a new man in charge," Gunter said, lowering his voice. "Brezhnev is a conservative. This could be a good thing for us."

Werner nodded without saying more, but his mind was already racing.

He knew what would happen next. 1968. The Prague Spring.

It was an event clearly recorded in the history books from before he transmigrated.

After Dubcek came to power and advocated for "socialism with a human face," Soviet tanks would roll into Prague.

All of Eastern Europe would be thrown into turmoil, and turmoil meant—

Opportunity.

’It’s 1964 now. There are still four years.’

"Director Gunter," Werner began, "I’ve been thinking about something."

"What is it?" Gunter asked, lighting a cigar.

"Koko’s business is currently focused mainly on trade with the West," Werner said. "But in reality, there are many potential business opportunities among the countries of Eastern Europe as well."

"You’re referring to?"

"Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland—" Werner walked to the map, his finger tracing over the Eastern European countries. "These nations all need materials, equipment, foreign currency. And we, as East Germany’s sole organization capable of maneuvering between East and West, can absolutely expand our scope of operations into these areas."

"Go on."

"Speaking of Prague, have you heard of a man named Dubcek?" Werner asked, feigning casualness.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!