I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 166: Chapter 76: Under the Moonlight

"And besides..." Anna’s voice dropped even lower. "Last time... you could have just ignored me. But you stepped in, and your plan was so meticulous that it got me out of trouble. Werner, after that, I knew you weren’t the kind of cold-blooded businessman who only calculates profits."

"You give me too much credit," Werner said with a smile. "I helped you for my own benefit as well. Your position in the Stasi is useful to me."

"I know." Anna smiled as well. "But at least you were willing to help, right?"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, and it felt as if the clamor of the cafe had vanished.

Werner looked away, raising his coffee to take a sip. "So, let’s talk about the logistics."

Anna raised her coffee too, a smile still playing on her lips. "We can’t meet too frequently; it would be easy to arouse suspicion. Once a month, and the location can’t be fixed. You tell me the place a day ahead, and I’ll be there on time."

"When do you need the first batch of intelligence?" Werner asked.

"The sooner, the better." Anna’s smile vanished, her expression turning serious. "I have a report to submit next week on the state of the West German steel industry. If you could get me some data by the end of this week, that would be perfect."

"The steel industry..." Werner mused. "I’ll need to contact Reynard for that. He has connections in the Ruhr District and should be able to get the data. It’ll probably cost something, though."

"How much? I can..."

"Don’t worry about it," Werner cut her off. "I’ll pay for it. Let’s call it... an investment."

Anna looked at him, her gaze softening. "Thank you, Werner."

"Don’t thank me," Werner said. "This is a transaction. You’re giving me something in return, right?"

"Of course." Anna leaned in a little closer. "Next month, the Stasi is going to tighten its control over Black Market cigarettes. The order has come down from on high to crack down hard on cigarette smuggling, especially for shipments from the Czech Republic and Poland."

A thought struck Werner.

As it happened, he had a shipment of Czech cigarettes that he hadn’t had a chance to unload yet.

"When does it start?"

"Around the beginning of June," Anna said. "I don’t have the exact date yet, but it’s definitely the first week of June. I’ll find out as soon as I can and let you know."

"And what else?"

"Also..." Anna’s voice dropped even lower, a hint of a smile in it. "The textile quotas might be relaxed a little. The unions have been applying constant pressure, saying the workers need more clothes. The higher-ups are considering increasing the quotas, with a new policy expected to come out by the end of June."

Werner mentally filed away this information.

"Is that enough?" Anna asked, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"It’s enough," Werner nodded. "You’ll have the steel industry data in three days."

"That’s wonderful." Anna stood up, grabbing her trench coat. "Well, I won’t keep you any longer."

She put on her trench coat, fastened the buttons, then suddenly turned back to look at Werner. "Werner..."

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Anna said, her voice very soft. "Not just for the intelligence, but for... what happened last time, too."

Werner looked at her, an unexplainable feeling stirring within him.

"You’re welcome," he said. "Anna, we’re partners, aren’t we?"

"Right, partners." Anna smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "But... perhaps we could be friends, too?"

With that, she turned, pushed open the door, and walked out into the sunlight.

The door closed.

Werner remained seated, gazing in the direction Anna had gone, and took another sip of his coffee.

It had gone completely cold, its bitterness more pronounced.

But he found he didn’t mind the taste.

* * *

That evening, Werner returned to his secret office and immediately called Reynard.

The call connected, and Reynard’s voice came through the line. "Werner? Calling this late. Is something urgent?"

"I need some data on the West German steel industry," Werner said, getting straight to the point. "Production volume, export volume, the operational status of major corporations. The more detailed, the better."

"The steel industry?" Reynard paused for a moment. "What do you need that for? Thinking of getting into the steel trade?"

"Don’t ask," Werner said. "Can you get it or not?"

"I can get it..." Reynard considered. "I have a couple of friends in the Ruhr District. One works at the Krupp Steel Plant, and another is at the Thyssen Steel Company. They should be able to provide some data. But..."

"But what?"

"This data isn’t cheap," Reynard said. "Especially the internal operational details. I’ll have to spend some money to get my hands on that."

"How much?"

"At least five hundred West German Marks."

Werner was silent for two seconds. "Fine. I’ll cover it. Can you get it done within three days?"

"Three days?" Reynard sucked in a sharp breath. "Werner, you’re killing me here."

"I’ll raise it. Seven hundred."

"Deal!" Reynard’s tone changed instantly. "Three days. I guarantee I’ll get you the most detailed data possible."

"Excellent," Werner said. "Once you have the data, send it via encrypted telegram. Not over the phone."

"Got it."

After hanging up, Werner sat at his desk and lit a cigarette.

’Seven hundred West German Marks... not cheap.’

’But if Anna’s intelligence is genuine, this investment will be well worth it.’

He had two thousand packs of Czech cigarettes. On the Black Market, they would sell for three Marks a pack, for a total of six thousand Marks.

If the crackdown really started in early June, he had to unload them as quickly as possible.

’As for the textiles...’

’The scrap material Schmidt provides each month isn’t enough. I need to find more suppliers.’

’If the quotas really are relaxed at the end of June, textile prices will drop, but demand will soar.’

’When that happens, whoever has the stock on hand will make a fortune.’

* * *

「Three days later」

Reynard’s encrypted telegram arrived right on schedule.

Werner sat in his secret office, translating the message word by word with his codebook.

"West Germany steel industry 1961 output: 34.2 million tons, up 8% year-over-year..."

"Primary export destinations: France, Italy, Netherlands... Total export volume approx. 9.5 million tons..."

"Krupp Steel Plant: annual output 5.8 million tons, revenue up 12%, primary product is specialty steel..."

"Thyssen Steel Company: annual output 6.2 million tons, revenue down 3%, impacted by competition from the United Kingdom..."

As Werner translated, he took notes, filling a full five pages.

The data was meticulous. Reynard hadn’t cut any corners.

"Nice work," Werner muttered to himself.

He organized the data again, selecting the most critical parts and copying them onto a fresh sheet of paper.

He omitted some of the overly detailed figures.

He obfuscated some of the content related to the internal operations of specific companies.

Anna needed intelligence that would be sufficient for her superiors. Anything too detailed would only raise suspicion.

When he finished, Werner glanced at his watch.

It was eight in the evening.

Werner placed the curated intelligence into a waterproof, oil-paper bag, slipped it into his jacket pocket, and headed out.

Night had fallen, and there were few pedestrians on the streets.

The May night was still cool, and the wind had a slight chill as it brushed against his face.

Werner took a familiar route, cutting through a few alleyways until he reached the Prenzlauer Berg District.

Saint George’s Church was an unremarkable old building. Its steeple was mottled with age, and its walls were thick with ivy.

Werner entered the courtyard through a side gate, glancing around to make sure he was alone.

The courtyard was small, containing only a stone bench and a few old trees. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Werner walked over to the stone bench, crouched down, and lifted the loose flagstone.

Beneath it was a small, empty hollow.

He tucked the oil-paper bag inside. Just as he was about to replace the flagstone, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Werner tensed, his hand moving to the small knife at his waist.

"It’s me."

It was Anna’s voice.

Werner sighed in relief and turned.

Anna stood in the shadows of a tree, wearing a black coat with her hair down on her shoulders—a completely different look from their meeting during the day. The moonlight on her face softened her features.

"What are you doing here?" Werner asked.

"I was just passing by." Anna walked over and crouched down beside him. "I saw someone come into the courtyard and came to have a look. I didn’t expect it to be you."

They crouched by the stone bench, very close.

Werner could smell the faint scent of her perfume, the same one from their last meeting.

"I got the data on the steel industry," Werner said, gesturing to the oil-paper bag under the flagstone. "It should be enough to satisfy your superiors."

"Thank you," Anna said, her voice soft. She didn’t immediately reach for the bag, but looked at Werner instead. "You’ve really been a huge help this time."

"You’re welcome." Werner stood up. "I’ll be going, then."

"Wait." Anna stood up as well, pulling an envelope from her pocket. "I found the specific date for the cigarette crackdown. June 4th. There will be large-scale raids."

Werner took the envelope and slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks."

"We’re partners," Anna said, looking at him. "We’re supposed to help each other."

They stood in the moonlight, silent for a few moments.

It was quiet, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The sound of a distant car broke the silence for a moment before it faded, leaving them in quiet once more.

"Werner..." Anna suddenly began, her voice tinged with hesitation.