I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 105: Chapter 15: The First Trap

"Within the Stasi, the flow of information is critical," Anna said, enunciating each word. "Sometimes, certain information should only flow through specific channels. If it ends up in the wrong place, it can cause unnecessary trouble."

Werner understood.

Anna was implying that he shouldn’t have told Vonke about giving her the list.

But she didn’t say it outright, because she wasn’t sure if Werner had actually told Vonke. She also wasn’t certain if he was just a common informant or an undercover agent sent by the Stasi to watch her.

"I understand what you mean," Werner said. "As an informant, I know what to say and what not to say."

"Good." Anna pushed open the door and walked out.

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

Werner stood at the window, watching Anna disappear into the night.

He was certain now—there was definitely something wrong with Anna’s identity.

Her real purpose for coming today wasn’t to question him about Hoffman. It was to probe Werner, to see if he had intentionally laid this trap to test her identity.

Werner lit a cigarette, replaying their recent conversation in his mind.

Anna’s composure had been somewhat unexpected.

She showed no signs of having been investigated. Instead, she seemed even calmer and more composed.

This meant one of two things: either she had successfully bluffed her way through using the excuse of "verifying information," or she had another protector within the Stasi.

Although today’s confrontation was over, Anna certainly wouldn’t trust him completely.

From now on, she would be even more vigilant and cautious with him.

She would continue to test him, trying to determine if he was friend or foe.

This game was far from over.

Anna was a master. This crisis hadn’t broken her; instead, she had adjusted her strategy, becoming even more cautious and unpredictable.

The contest between them had only just begun.

In this gray East Germany, this game of cat and mouse would continue for a long time.

And as for who was the cat and who was the mouse, that was still undecided.

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

「October 30th, 2:00 PM.」

Werner sat at his desk in the textile factory warehouse. He slowly caressed the fountain pen in his hand, his gaze fixed on the open ledger before him, but for a long while, he wrote nothing.

’Krupp must be cornered by now.’

The Berlin Wall had been up for nearly three months, cutting off all of Krupp’s original smuggling routes. After so long, his stockpiles had to be nearly depleted.

Meanwhile, Werner, using the channels he had prepared in advance, had monopolized most of the supply.

Krupp’s men were starting to leave him, and his clients were defecting to Werner.

The old fox was cautious, but under this immense pressure, he had to make a choice: either withdraw from the Black Market or risk everything to seize a new channel.

And what Werner had to do was create an "opportunity" for him—a trap that looked like a chance to turn things around, but would in fact be his complete undoing.

He had been setting up this scheme for a long time.

’Now, it’s time to close the net.’

At eight o’clock that evening, Keller arrived at the warehouse right on time.

"Boss, you were looking for me?" Keller asked, closing the door and sitting down across from Werner.

"I need you to spread a rumor," Werner said. "Just say I’ve found a new smuggling route, one that can bring in large shipments from West Berlin, and that it’s safer than before."

Keller was taken aback for a moment. "A new route? Boss, don’t we already have the channels through Ivanov and Matthias?"

"I know," Werner said. "But I want people to think I have another, even better route."

Keller thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. "Boss, you’re trying to bait a hook?"

"Smart," Werner said, flicking the ash from his cigarette. "The rumor has to spread naturally, not too deliberately. Go to a few of the taverns on the Black Market, find a few guys with loose lips, and just casually mention that I’ve gotten a huge shipment in recently, apparently through some new channel. Be vague. Let them guess the rest."

"Understood," Keller nodded. "What should I say, specifically?"

"Just say I’ve recently gotten in touch with some people from municipal maintenance, and it seems I’m using the sewer system to move things," Werner said. "But don’t give too many details. Just drop the hint. Make them feel like it’s a secret, but not one that’s completely impossible to uncover."

"The sewers?" Keller sounded surprised. "Didn’t you scout that route before the Berlin Wall went up? We never used it—" He paused, then his eyes widened in understanding. "I get it. You’ve been saving this route all along, just waiting to use it as bait today?"

"Exactly," Werner said flatly. "The route is viable, but as soon as Krupp’s men take the bait, the route will be burned for good. I won’t let it compromise our real shipping channels."

"Brilliant," Keller said with genuine admiration. "Using a discarded piece that was never even in play to catch a big fish. Even if it gets exposed, it won’t hurt our core operation."

"Precisely," Werner said, flicking his ash again. "That’s why we have to make it look realistic this time. We need to make them believe this route is very important to me."

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

「Wednesday, 9:00 PM.」

The tavern was thick with smoke. Dozens of men in work clothes and old coats crammed into the small space, drinking cheap beer and talking in low voices. This was a common haunt for Black Market merchants, a place where information flowed even faster than goods.

Keller sat at a corner table with half a glass of beer in front of him.

Two acquaintances were sitting next to him—Old Hans and Skinny Frank, both of them old-timers who had been hustling on the Black Market for over a decade.

"Keller, heard your boss got another big shipment in recently?" Old Hans asked in a hushed voice. "Where’d he get it from? All our channels are dead. How can he still get his hands on so much stuff?"

Keller took a sip of beer and said nonchalantly, "Our boss has his ways."

"What kind of ways?" Frank leaned in. "Can you give us a little hint? This business is getting harder and harder. If we could just get a piece of your boss’s action..."

"I can’t just go blabbing about that," Keller said, waving his hand dismissively. "Our boss recently made some contacts with municipal maintenance. I don’t know the details. Anyway, last week, I saw him near a manhole in the southern part of the city, talking to a few guys in work uniforms. He was even carrying waterproof boots and a flashlight."

"A manhole? Waterproof boots?" Old Hans’s eyes lit up. He lowered his voice. "You mean... the sewers?"

"I never said that," Keller said, quickly waving his hands. "I just saw what I saw. Who knows if that’s what it means?"

"Heh heh, I get it, I get it," Frank chuckled. "A manhole, municipal maintenance, and waterproof boots. Now that’s a hidden route."

"Goes to show, your boss is the real deal now," Old Hans remarked with a sigh. "After the Berlin Wall went up, everyone was screwed, but he can still get his hands on goods."

"Of course," Keller said proudly. "Our boss is capable."

The three of them chatted for a while longer before Keller, pretending to be drunk, left the tavern early.

As soon as he was gone, Old Hans and Frank exchanged a look.

"The sewers," Frank said in a low voice. "This information is valuable."

"Yeah," Old Hans agreed with a nod. "Krupp’s people have been asking about Werner’s channels. If we sell this information to them..." He paused, then frowned. "But just knowing it’s the sewers isn’t much use. The sewer system in East Berlin is incredibly complex. Hundreds of pipes crisscrossing each other. You’d need to know which ones lead to West Berlin, which are dead ends, where the checkpoints are... all of that has to be figured out. Without a detailed map, knowing they use the sewers is useless."

"You’re right," Frank realized. "For something like this, you’d have to get the specific route from Werner himself. You can’t just hear a rumor that smuggling through the sewers is possible and go do it yourself."

"Which makes this information even more valuable," Old Hans said, a shrewd glint in his eye. "We can sell this intelligence for a good price."

"Let’s go. We’ll find Krupp’s men," Frank said.

The two men hastily left the tavern and disappeared into the night.

The next afternoon, Keller came to report. "Boss, the rumor is out," he said. "Those two, Old Hans and Frank, went looking for Krupp’s men last night."

"Excellent," Werner said. "You did well."

"Also, I heard some chatter on the Black Market this morning," Keller continued. "Someone’s been asking about the manholes in the south of the city, and others are keeping an eye on the municipal maintenance workers. It looks like Krupp’s side has already started investigating."

"As expected," Werner said. "The old fox wouldn’t blindly trust a rumor. He’d send people to verify it first. Keep an eye on them. See what their next move is."

"Understood." Keller left the warehouse.

A smile touched the corner of Werner’s mouth.

’Krupp’s taking the bait.’

He was still being cautious, but he had started his investigation.

All he had to do now was add a little more fuel to the fire, make this "sewer route" seem even more real and credible, and Krupp wouldn’t be able to resist making a move.