I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 164: Chapter 74: Risk Warning

The April sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell across Rostock Port.

Werner stood outside a dockside warehouse, gazing at a cargo ship moored in the distance. Its hull was rust-streaked, the name faded and illegible, but this old freighter from Poland was carrying his biggest deal of the month.

"Boss, everything’s in the container," Franz said, his voice low. "Carl says loading is at ten tonight. We can move it out of the port by eleven."

Werner nodded silently.

The shipment was medical equipment—ten X-ray machines from West Germany, with a Black Market value of at least eighty thousand Marks.

The buyers were purchasing directors from several East German hospitals. They had the budget but couldn’t get the necessary quotas approved. Werner had sourced this batch of "used equipment" from West Germany. While officially a "humanitarian donation," he was in reality charging them double the price for each machine.

The risk was high, but the profit was higher.

Werner glanced at his watch. 8:30 PM.

An hour and a half to go.

He turned to head back to the car to wait, but a line of text suddenly flashed through his mind:

[Risk Warning]

[60% probability of a surprise Stasi inspection at the port tonight]

[Recommendation: Delay or cancel operation]

Werner froze.

60%...

Those weren’t low odds.

But it wasn’t 100%, either.

"Boss?" Franz asked, confused when Werner suddenly stopped. "What’s wrong?"

Werner was silent for a moment, his mind racing.

’A 60% probability means there’s a 40% chance it’s a false alarm.’

’The shipment is already in port, and Carl has his people ready. If I cancel now, not only will we lose the shipping fees, but Carl will get suspicious.’

’Besides, the buyers need these X-ray machines urgently. If we postpone, they might look for another supplier...’

’But if we really do get hit with a surprise inspection...’

’Eighty thousand Marks’ worth of goods, all down the drain.’

’And I’ll probably end up in a Stasi prison.’

Werner took a deep breath, his mind made up.

"We’re calling it off for tonight."

"What?" Franz was stunned. "Boss, everything’s ready. Why...?"

"Because I said so," Werner cut him off, his tone final. "Go find Carl. Tell him the op is postponed until the night after tomorrow."

"But Boss..." Franz hesitated. "If we delay, we’ll have to pay extra storage fees, and what about Carl...?"

"I know." Werner turned to face him. "Just do it. Don’t ask why. And one more thing, post two men to watch the port. I want to know if anything happens tonight."

Franz saw the look in Werner’s eyes and knew there was no point in arguing. He simply nodded. "Alright, I’m on it."

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

At 9:00 PM, Werner sat in the car and lit a cigarette.

Through the window, the port was brightly illuminated.

Several freighters were moored silently, the silhouettes of cranes looming large against the night sky. Now and then, a dockworker would pass by pushing a handcart, its wheels creaking over the stone-paved road.

In the passenger seat, Franz sat in silence, his expression a mask of confusion.

"Boss..." he finally broke the silence. "How did you know there was going to be a problem tonight?"

Werner exhaled a cloud of smoke. "A feeling."

"A feeling?"

"That’s right. A feeling." Werner turned to him. "Franz, when you’ve been in this business long enough, you don’t need anyone to tell you when something’s wrong. You just know."

Franz scratched his head, still not getting it.

Just then, the back door was pulled open. Keller slid inside, bringing a gust of cold air with him.

"Boss, we’re in position," Keller said, catching his breath. "I sent Shorty to the east gate and Rat to the west gate."

"Good." Werner nodded. "Tell them to report back immediately if they see anything unusual."

"Understood."

And so, the three of them sat in the car, waiting.

The minutes ticked by.

9:30.

10:00.

10:15.

The port remained quiet, with only the occasional dockworker passing through.

Franz was getting antsy. "Boss, maybe we should..."

Before he could finish, a sharp rap sounded on the car window.

Keller quickly rolled down the window. Outside stood a skinny young man—it was Shorty, the lookout he’d posted.

"They’re here!" Shorty panted. "Three black Volgas, just came in through the east gate! Full of guys in uniform!"

Werner’s heart sank.

’Stasi.’

"How many men?" Keller asked.

"At least ten, and they’re all armed," Shorty said. "They headed straight for the docks. Looks like they’re here for tonight’s pickup."

The color drained from Franz’s face.

He turned to look at Werner, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and relief.

Werner said nothing, merely lighting another cigarette.

"Keep watching," Keller told Shorty. "See who they grab and when they leave."

"You got it!" Shorty replied before turning and running off.

Silence returned to the car.

About twenty minutes later, Shorty was back.

"They nabbed four people," he reported. "Two dockworkers and two guys who looked like they were here for a pickup. The Stasi loaded them into the cars and hauled several crates out of a warehouse."

"What kind of crates?"

"Couldn’t see clearly, but they were huge." Shorty gestured with his hands. "This big. Took four guys to lift one."

Franz sucked in a sharp breath. "That was..."

"Another crew’s merchandise," Werner said coolly. "We weren’t the only ones planning a move tonight."

Keller wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Boss, good thing you were sharp. Otherwise our X-ray machines..."

"Enough," Werner cut him off. "Have our guys pull back. Don’t draw any attention from the Stasi."

"Right."

After another half-hour wait, the three black Volgas finally drove out of the port.

Franz let out a long breath and slumped back in his seat. "Damn, that scared the hell out of me."

"Scared now?" Werner glanced at him. "This is why I told you to be cautious. In this business, one wrong move and you’ll rot in a cell for life."

"Boss, how did you know?" Franz finally had to ask. "Was it really just a feeling?"

Werner was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Don’t ask. From now on, when I say we postpone, you just do it. No questions."

"Understood, understood," Franz nodded eagerly.

Keller leaned in too. "Boss, so when do we move the cargo?"

"The night after tomorrow," Werner said. "Tell Carl to wait two more days; I’ll cover the storage fees. Also, tell him what happened tonight. Let him know we postponed the deal to protect him, too."

"Got it."

Werner pushed open the car door and stepped out.

The sea breeze hit his face, thick with its salty, fishy smell.

He stood at the edge of the dock, staring out at the pitch-black sea as the system’s interface materialized in his mind once more.

[Risk Warning Successfully Used]

[Major Loss Successfully Averted]

[EXP +500]

Werner dismissed the interface, a wry smile touching his lips.

’This system...’

’Sometimes, it really is useful.’

But he knew he couldn’t rely on it completely.

’A 60% chance isn’t 100%.’

’If I aborted the mission every time the system issued a warning, I’d be out of business.’

’The key is learning to judge—when to trust the system, and when to trust my own instincts.’

’Tonight, the gamble paid off.’

’But what about next time?’

"Boss, let’s head back," Franz said, walking over. "It’s getting cold."

"Yeah." Werner turned and started walking back. "Right, go see Carl tomorrow. Give him an extra two hundred Marks for his trouble."

The three men got into the car, started the engine, and drove away from the port.

Outside the window, Rostock Port was once again plunged into darkness and silence.

The car turned onto the highway back to East Berlin, the straight road stretching into the distance, illuminated by the headlights.

Franz drove while Keller dozed in the back seat.

Werner sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery blur past his window.

The April night was dark, with no stars in the sky.

Vast, dark farmlands flanked the highway, punctuated only by the occasional lights of a distant village.

"Boss," Franz said suddenly. "I have a question."