I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 165: Chapter 75: Anna’s Gamble: Cooperation from the Stasi

"Speak."

"Those smugglers who were caught tonight..." Franz hesitated. "Do you think they’ll rat anyone out?"

Werner was silent for a moment. "They will."

"Then we should..."

"That’s why we need to be more careful," Werner said. "Starting tomorrow, we’re putting the port route on hold for a bit. Let the heat die down. After that batch of X-ray machines is transported, we won’t use the port again this month."

"But Boss, the port is one of our most important channels..."

"That’s precisely why it needs to be protected," Werner cut him off. "Franz, remember this: the channel is more important than the goods. We can always get more goods if they’re lost, but a broken channel is very difficult to repair."

"It’s better to earn a little less than to burn the channel."

Franz nodded. "I’ll remember that, Boss."

The car continued to drive through the darkness.

About an hour later, the silhouette of East Berlin appeared on the horizon.

Gray buildings, dim yellow streetlights, and the wall that split the city in two.

To most people, this wall was a cage.

But to Werner, it was a gold mine.

As long as this wall stood, the price difference between East and West Berlin would always exist.

And as long as that price difference existed, his business would never stop.

The car entered the city and stopped at Werner’s residence.

"See you tomorrow, Boss," Franz said.

"See you tomorrow." Werner got out of the car. "Oh, and before we go to the port the day after tomorrow, send someone to scope it out again. Make sure it’s safe."

"Understood!"

The car drove off, its taillights gradually disappearing into the night.

Werner went upstairs and opened the door to his home. He took off his coat, walked over to the table, and sat down, leaning back in his chair and letting out a long sigh.

’That was too close tonight.’

’If it weren’t for the system’s warning...’

He didn’t dare to think about what might have happened.

But Werner also knew he couldn’t rely on the system every time.

The system only gave him probabilities, not a definite future.

A 60% probability meant there was still a 40% chance it was a false alarm.

If he abandoned his plans every time the system issued a warning, he would miss out on a lot of opportunities.

The key was to learn how to judge for himself. Besides, he was already establishing his own intelligence network—one that didn’t rely entirely on the system or his Stasi connections. It would be a system that was truly his own, capable of anticipating risks in advance.

The Church’s information network was being established.

His eyes and ears on the Black Market were also expanding.

’Once the time is right, I’ll integrate all this information, analyze the patterns... Even without the system, I’ll be able to anticipate risks in advance.’

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

In May, the weather in East Berlin began to warm up.

Werner sat in the corner of a cafe, holding a cup of black coffee. The cafe was thick with smoke, with a few tables sparsely occupied by elderly people chatting in low voices.

The wall clock pointed to three in the afternoon.

Anna was fifteen minutes late.

Werner watched the door impassively, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

Anna had asked to meet him, saying she had something important to discuss.

Her voice had sounded calm on the phone, but Werner could detect a trace of suppressed excitement.

The door was pushed open, and a gust of wind blew in.

Anna walked in, wearing a dark gray trench coat. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore light makeup. She scanned the cafe, her gaze landing on Werner, and a slight smile touched her lips.

"Have you been waiting long?" Anna walked to the table, took off her trench coat, draped it over the back of her chair, and sat down. Her movements were fluid and natural, carrying a sense of ease.

"Not too long." Werner pushed his coffee cup forward slightly and smiled as well. "What would you like to drink?"

"Black coffee, no sugar," Anna said, tilting her head slightly. "Just like you."

Werner waved over a waiter and ordered a coffee.

"I heard you were transferred," Werner said, getting straight to the point. "Congratulations."

"Congratulations for what?" Anna laughed. "I spent four months in a do-nothing department, I was about to grow mold. I’m finally back, but my position has changed."

"What position?"

"Foreign intelligence collection," Anna lowered her voice. "Specifically responsible for economic and market intelligence from the West German side."

Werner’s eyes narrowed, and a smile played on his lips. "Interesting. This position... is very valuable, for both of us."

"So, you sought me out because you want to..."

"Cooperate," Anna cut him off, her gaze direct. "A deep cooperation."

The waiter brought the coffee. Anna said her thanks, raised the cup, and took a sip.

"You know the predicament I’m in," she said, putting down her cup and looking at Werner. "New post, new superior, everyone’s watching me, waiting to see if I can produce any results."

"You need intelligence from West Germany," Werner finished for her.

"Exactly." Anna put down her cup and leaned forward slightly. "I need economic intelligence from West Germany to deal with my superiors. You have channels in West Germany. Your suppliers there... should be able to get you real, reliable data."

"And in exchange?"

"In exchange, I can give you inside information on policy movements within East Germany." Anna’s voice dropped even lower. "When they’re going to tighten controls, when there will be surprise inspections, which industries will be targeted for crackdowns, which goods will have their quotas relaxed... Werner, this information should be very useful to you."

Werner picked up his coffee and took a slow sip.

Anna was right.

If he knew about policy changes in advance, he could prepare accordingly—stockpiling goods when he should, liquidating when he should, and moving things when he should.

And...

He looked at Anna, a strange feeling in his heart.

After he helped her out of her predicament last time, her attitude had clearly changed.

It was no longer that all-business coldness, but something more... trust?

"Why come to me?" Werner put down his cup. "Doesn’t the Stasi have its own dedicated intelligence channels?"

"We do," Anna said with a wry smile. "But those channels are all in the hands of the old guard. They’re not for a ’nobody’ like me who just got transferred back. Besides, the intelligence from those channels is of mixed quality. A lot of it is outdated or just plain false."

She looked at Werner, an indescribable emotion in her eyes. "I need something of real value to prove myself. And you..."

"...happen to have the channels you need," Werner finished.

"Right. And..." Anna paused, a slight smile on her lips. "I trust you."

"You trust me?" Werner raised an eyebrow. "Anna, I’m a Black Market merchant."

"I trust you precisely because you’re a Black Market merchant," Anna said. "Werner, in this city, the people who seem upright on the surface are all scheming behind the scenes. But people like you, you put everything on the table—you want to make money, you want to survive, you want to grow your business."

She leaned a little closer, her voice softening. "That kind of honesty, paradoxically, is reassuring."

Werner looked at her, and for some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

Anna was very close. He could smell the faint scent of her perfume, mingled with the bitter aroma of coffee.