I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 134: Chapter 44: Stasi’s Weakness

Anna nodded. "Of course."

She stepped aside, watching as the two young officers began to search her desk. They pulled open drawers, taking out documents one by one. The lock on her filing cabinet was pried open, and the files inside were piled onto the desk.

Schmidt stood by, watching coldly, occasionally flipping through a few pages of a document.

Anna’s heart was pounding, but she forced herself to remain calm.

She knew what this meant—the Stasi’s internal purge had finally reached her. She’d heard a few days ago that two colleagues from the external operations department had been taken in for questioning, accused of "improper contact with West German intelligence agencies." And now, it was her turn.

"Which Black Market personnel have you been in contact with recently?" Schmidt asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on her.

"Only those required for my work," Anna said calmly. "Mainly a few regular informants and some temporary intelligence sources. It’s all documented."

Schmidt said nothing, just stared at her for a few seconds before going back to the documents.

The search lasted nearly an hour.

They went through every drawer, examined every document, and even took the map off the wall to check its back.

Anna stood by the door, her expression unchanging, but her palms were slick with sweat.

Finally, Schmidt closed a folder. "We haven’t found any issues for now. But from this moment on, you are to report all your movements to your superior. Hand over your office key. Your phone will be tapped, and you will need to apply for approval to go anywhere. Understand?"

"I understand," Anna said.

Schmidt left with his men.

The moment the door closed, Anna allowed herself to lean against the wall and shut her eyes.

’This is only the beginning.’

Once the Stasi suspected someone, they latched on like a hound and never let go.

’I need to inform Werner about my situation, but my every move is under surveillance. I can’t do anything out of the ordinary.’

She stood in her office for a few minutes, her mind racing. Then, she grabbed her coat and walked out.

Anna walked down the stairs, showed her pass to the guard, and exited the Stasi Building.

The night wind blew against her face, and she could finally relax, just a little.

She walked down the street for a while before suddenly turning into a small alley.

At the end of the alley was a trash can. She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket—it was a shopping list she had prepared in advance, made to look like a typical Black Market order. But under the entry for "French perfume," she had lightly penciled a few nearly invisible marks.

This was the secret signal she had arranged with Werner. If she was in trouble, this was how she would let him know.

Anna tucked the note into a crack in a broken brick next to the trash can—it was a spot one of Werner’s men passed by every day. He would notice the unusual placement and take the note to Werner.

With that done, Anna turned and left the alley. Her figure vanished into the night, her footsteps fading into the distance.

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

「Three days later.」

Werner sat in his secret office, the shopping list laid out before him.

Under the dim yellow light, the pencil marks on the paper were barely visible.

He put the note down and lit a cigarette. Smoke drifted slowly into the air as he narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.

’Anna’s in trouble.’

It wasn’t a surprise—the System had already warned him that the Stasi was conducting a secret internal purge. He’d guessed Anna might get caught up in it. After all, she was a double agent, providing him with cover from within the Stasi while also passing intelligence to West German agencies. People like her were the first to be rooted out in a purge.

But if Anna went down, his business in East Berlin would become much more difficult.

Werner took a drag from his cigarette and flicked the ash into an ashtray.

’I have to find a way to save Anna.’

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

He stood up, walked over to the filing cabinet by the wall, and opened the bottom drawer. Inside was a manila envelope with a label that read, "Backup Material."

He took out the envelope and emptied its contents—a dozen or so sheets of paper, on which were recorded various names, addresses, and transaction records.

This was all the "dirt" he had gathered from Anna over the past few months.

Whenever he helped Anna pass intelligence to West Germany, Werner would take the opportunity to ask her some seemingly trivial questions: Who inside the Stasi wasn’t on the level? Who was up to something shady behind the scenes? Who had dealings with the Black Market?

Anna would casually mention a few names each time, treating it as idle chatter.

But Werner wrote down all the names and had his men on the Black Market look into them. Over time, he had accumulated a good deal of "dirt"—some had bought forbidden goods, others were reselling rationed supplies, and some had vague, unclear connections to West Germany.

These people had been useless to Werner. But now, they could be put to use.

Werner selected five sheets from the pile. The names on them all belonged to low-level Stasi employees—two intelligence officers from the external operations department, a clerk from the records department, and two patrolmen responsible for border surveillance.

What these people had in common was that they had all purchased "special goods" on the Black Market at one point or another.

Werner picked up a pen and began to make a list on a blank sheet of paper.

First name: Helmut Fischer, intelligence officer, external operations department.

A few months ago, this person inquired on the Black Market about travel guides and geography magazines from West Germany, claiming it was for "personal interest." Although he didn’t end up buying anything too sensitive, he did purchase some West German-published landscape albums and map collections.

Second name: Klaus Meyer, intelligence officer, external operations department.

A month ago, he was asking around the Black Market for a miniature camera, saying he wanted it for family photos, but Werner’s men didn’t sell one to him. However, he later bought darkroom equipment and developing chemicals, claiming he wanted to develop his own pictures.

Third name: Hans Schulz, clerk, records department.

A month ago, he bought a number of West German magazines on the Black Market, claiming they were beauty and fashion magazines for his wife. At the same time, he also bought several Western geography magazines and travel guides.

Fourth name: Fritz Lang, border patrolman.

He recently asked around the Black Market about how to obtain West German directories and address books, saying he wanted to find an old classmate in West Berlin. Although he didn’t manage to buy any sensitive materials, he was very persistent with his questions.

Fifth name: Otto Schmidt, border patrolman.

Last month, he bought radio equipment on the Black Market, claiming it was for a "hobby."

Werner compiled this information into a concise intelligence file, then folded it and put it in his coat pocket.

He stubbed out his cigarette, put on his coat, and pushed open the iron door of the basement.

The night outside was thick, the streetlights dim in the fog. Werner walked into the darkness, heading in the direction of the Stasi Building.

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

「The Stasi Building.」

Werner walked into the reception area and presented his informant credentials. "I’m looking for Comrade Vonke. I have urgent intelligence to report."

The receptionist glanced at him and dialed an internal line. A few minutes later, a young Stasi officer came down, his face devoid of expression. "Follow me," he said.

Vonke’s office was at the end of the third-floor hallway. When the door was pushed open, the smell of smoke hit them.

The old detective was sitting behind his desk, a cigarette between his fingers, with a pile of file folders on the table. He lifted his gaze to look at Werner. "What’s happened that brings you to me this late?"