Chapter 275: Chapter 58: Anna’s New Mission
Werner took a list out of his briefcase. "I need to procure a batch of goods—oranges, chocolate, coffee, whiskey, champagne, electronic watches, portable radios, nylon stockings..."
Margaret took the list and quickly glanced over it.
"This much? Werner, are you planning to open a department store?"
"It’s a Christmas supply mission for the East German Government," Werner said. "The Politburo wants to prove that the suppression of the Prague Spring hasn’t affected the standard of living."
"Fucking hypocrites," Margaret said bluntly. "They spent so much money invading the Czech Republic, and now they want to pretend they’re rich?"
"That’s politics," Werner shrugged. "So, can you handle it?"
Margaret looked over the list again, marking a few items.
"Most of this is no problem," she said. "Oranges, chocolate, coffee—those are regular goods, I have them in stock. Alcohol is easy too. But the electronics—especially the portable radios—it’s the Christmas season now, and demand in the West German market is also very high, so the price will be a bit steeper."
"Price isn’t an issue," Werner said. "The key is quality and timing. I need to receive all the goods before December 15th."
"The 15th?" Margaret frowned. "That’s less than a month away."
"I know it’s a rush," Werner said, pulling an envelope from his briefcase. "Here’s the deposit. One hundred thousand West German Marks."
Margaret opened the envelope and looked at the thick stack of bills inside.
"Alright." She put the envelope away, stood up, and walked over to the safe in her office. "A three-hundred-thousand-Mark deal is worth me working overtime for."
She opened the safe, took out a notebook, and started making calls.
Werner sat to one side, lit a cigarette, and listened as Margaret haggled with various suppliers in fluent German, English, and even French.
Twenty minutes later, Margaret hung up the last call and walked back to her desk.
"Done." She checked off each item on the list. "The oranges will be imported from Spain, the chocolate bought from Switzerland, and the coffee will be from South America. I have a regular channel for the alcohol. The electronics are a bit trickier, but I have a friend in Hamburg who’s in the electronics trade. He can help."
"Very good." Werner nodded. "One more thing—a portion of this shipment needs to be prioritized for high-ranking East German officials and their families."
Margaret raised an eyebrow. "Special supply?"
"Yes," Werner said. "So the quality has to be the best."
"Don’t worry. I’m Margaret Schneider. I don’t ruin my own brand."
The two of them discussed the details for a while longer, then Margaret suddenly asked, "Werner, I heard things are very strict over in East Germany lately?"
"Very strict," Werner said. "After the Prague Spring, the Stasi have been arresting people everywhere. A lot of the Black Market channels have been cut off."
"What about you?" Margaret looked at him. "Are you still safe?"
"Safe for now," Werner said. "I have an official position at Koko, and I also have connections within the Stasi. As long as I’m careful, there shouldn’t be a problem."
"’Should be’?" Margaret sneered. "Werner, I’ve been in this business for many years. I’ve seen too many people who said ’it should be fine’ end up in trouble. You need to be careful. Very careful."
"I will," Werner said, standing up. "I’m leaving the goods in your hands."
"Don’t worry," Margaret said, seeing him to the door. "I guarantee I’ll have the items in your hands before the 15th."
Werner walked out of the office and onto the streets of West Berlin.
’Margaret was right.’
’He had to be very careful.’
’Right now, East Germany was a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.’
*************
「West Berlin, a hidden bar, early December.」
Werner sat in a booth in the corner, a glass of whiskey in front of him.
Across from him sat a man in his thirties, dressed in civilian clothes but with sharp eyes—Werner, a liaison officer for the West German Federal Intelligence Agency (BND).
"Werner, long time no see." Werner raised his glass. "A toast to our cooperation."
Werner clinked glasses with him and took a sip of his drink.
"You didn’t ask me here just to drink, did you?"
"Of course not." Werner put down his glass and lowered his voice. "We need to understand East Germany’s movements after Operation Danube—the Politburo’s attitude, the scope of the Stasi’s purges, the public’s reaction, and the economic situation."
"Just get to the point," Werner said. "What intelligence do you want?"
"First, Ublis’s true opinion on the situation in the Czech Republic," Werner said. "Does he genuinely support the Soviet Union’s invasion, or was he forced to take a stand?"
Werner thought for a moment. "Ublis is the staunchest hawk. He was even more anxious than Moscow—the East German army was originally prepared to take part in the invasion, but the Soviet Union called it off at the last minute."
"Why call it off?" Werner raised an eyebrow.
"Because of 1938," Werner said. "The Soviet Union was worried that if German tanks appeared on the streets of Prague again, it would stir up the ethnic hatred of the Czechs and make the suppression more difficult."
Werner nodded, jotting the information down in a notebook.
"Second, how wide is the scope of the Stasi’s purges?"
"Extremely wide," Werner said. "Any talk related to the Prague Spring, any expression of sympathy for the reforms, is investigated. Many university professors, writers, and journalists have been arrested. Even some ordinary workers have been added to the list of suspicious persons just for listening to Western radio."
"And the public’s reaction?"
"Fear," Werner said without hesitation. "All of East Germany is shrouded in fear. No one dares to say an extra word, no one dares to express any dissenting opinions. The atmosphere is even more oppressive than when the Berlin Wall was first built."
Werner stopped writing and looked at Werner. "What about you? How are you holding up?"
"Me?" Werner gave a bitter laugh. "I’m surviving in the cracks. The Stasi wants me to provide intelligence, and Koko wants me to complete my foreign currency earning quotas. I have to handle both sides well, or things could go south at any moment."
"If something really does happen," Werner said seriously, "we will protect you. You know, Werner, you’re very valuable to us."
"I know." Werner finished the drink in his glass. "But I hope I’ll never have to use that promise."
"Let’s hope so." Werner finished his drink as well. "One more thing—you’ve been arranging political prisoner exchanges recently, right?"
"That’s right," Werner said. "A group of people implicated because of the Prague Spring."
"We’re particularly interested in a few of them," Werner said. "Especially that Czech economist, Novak. Can you get him out as soon as possible?"
"I’ll do my best," Werner said. "But that requires time and procedure."
"We understand." Werner stood up. "Werner, take care. These are dangerous times; you need to be extra careful."
"I will." Werner stood up as well.
The two men shook hands and parted ways.
Werner walked out of the bar and into the West Berlin night.
’The Stasi is watching me.’
’West Germany is using me.’
’I’m walking a tightrope between two giants.’
’One misstep, and I’ll be shattered to pieces.’
************
「January 1969, East Berlin.」
As soon as Werner stepped into the secret apartment, he saw Anna standing by the window, her back to him.
She was wearing a black sweater, her arms crossed, staring motionlessly at the night outside the window.
The room was unlit, with only the light from the Berlin Wall’s searchlights filtering in, casting cold beams of light across the floor.
"You’re here," Anna said without turning her head.
Werner put down his briefcase and walked to her side. "What is it? You said on the phone it was something important."
Anna was silent for a few seconds, then turned to face him.
Werner’s heart sank—Anna’s expression was complex, showing hesitation, worry, and a trace of nervousness he rarely saw in her.
"The Stasi is sending me to West Germany," she said directly, her voice soft. "A long-term infiltration mission."
Werner frowned. "What kind of mission?"
"To pose as a refugee fleeing to West Germany, then use the identity of an East German dissident to make contact with West German intelligence agencies." Anna walked to the sofa and sat down, pulling a cigarette from her pocket. "Von Brown said that after the Prague Spring, West Germany has stepped up its recruitment of East German dissidents. They need someone like me, who has a Stasi background but appears to have ’defected’."
Werner took a lighter, lit her cigarette, and sat down beside her.
"What about your status as a double agent?" he asked directly.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter