I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 168: Chapter 78: Prophet of the Windfall

"He asked me for a donation," Werner said. "The Church is doing some humanitarian work, helping families in need, and asked if I could contribute some supplies. I agreed and donated some food and medicine."

"That’s all?"

"That’s all," Werner said. "As for what other work Lawyer Vogel is doing, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m just making a charitable donation. That’s not illegal, is it?"

Vonke walked back to the sofa and sat down again. He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. It was already cold.

"Comrade Betelich," he said slowly, "I’ve been with the Stasi for twenty-three years, and I’ve seen all kinds of people. Some are clever, but not cautious; some are cautious, but not clever. You’re one of the few I’ve met who is both clever and cautious."

He put down the cup and looked at Werner:

"But do you know something? It’s the clever and cautious ones who are most likely to fall. They think they’ve considered everything, that no one can find any dirt on them. But they forget one thing: the Stasi has nothing but time, and patience."

Werner did not speak.

"I’ve looked at your ledgers, and there are indeed no obvious holes," Vonke said, standing and grabbing his hat. "But I will keep digging. Hopter, Klein, Vogel—I’ll check on all of them. One of these threads will eventually unravel."

He walked to the door and suddenly turned back.

"One more thing, Comrade Betelich. I’d advise you to stop. Whatever you’re doing, however much money you’ve given those officials, stop now. Because once I find concrete proof, not even Von Brown will be able to protect you."

Werner laughed. "You worry too much, Comrade Vonke. I’m just a hustler, running a small business to get by."

"Let’s hope so." Vonke put on his hat. "The coffee was good. Until next time."

The door closed.

Werner walked to the window and watched Vonke get into his car and drive away. The snow was falling harder now, quickly covering the tire tracks.

"Boss," Franz said, coming out of the bedroom. "How did it go?"

"He’s closing in," Werner said. "He knows about Hopter and Klein."

"Then what do we do?"

Werner turned, his eyes cold. "Tell Anna I need a detailed file on Vonke. Family situation, work history, everything she can find."

"A file?"

"Yes," Werner said. "He wants to investigate me, so I’ll investigate him. Every old fox has a tail, and I’m going to find it."

"Understood."

After Franz left, Werner sat back down on the sofa and picked up the ledger.

This was a ledger he had prepared meticulously. Every entry could withstand scrutiny because they were all real—they just represented only one-third of his actual income. The remaining two-thirds were stashed as cash in various locations, leaving no paper trail.

’But Vonke was right. The ledger was too clean.’

Werner lit a corner of the ledger, watching the flame slowly devour the numbers, the orange light flickering across his face.

Downstairs, another car pulled up.

Werner didn’t look. He knew that in the coming days, the surveillance would only get tighter. Vonke was on his tail.

***********

「A few weeks later.」

Werner listened to the system notification ringing in his mind, his fingers pinching the cigarette butt tightly.

[IMPORTANT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY ALERT: PILOT FOR THE NEW ECONOMIC SYSTEM (NES) REFORM IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH]

[ESTIMATED TIME: AUTUMN 1962 - SPRING 1963]

[KEY CHANGE: SELECT STATE-OWNED FACTORIES WILL GAIN PROFIT-SHARING RIGHTS AND CAN INDEPENDENTLY PROCURE PRIZES TO INCENTIVIZE WORKERS]

The cigarette butt burned his fingers before Werner snapped back to his senses. He stubbed it out, lit another, and took a deep drag.

’The New Economic System.’

Those four words were like a key, unlocking a dusty memory in his mind.

In the history books of his previous life, this was a passage that didn’t get much ink—an attempt by Walter Ublis to use a "socialist market economy" to counter West Germany’s economic miracle. It was a failure, but before it failed, there was a brief period of chaos.

’And for a Black Market dealer, chaos was a gold mine.’

Werner paced back and forth in his room, his mind racing.

’What was the core of the NES? Decentralization of power, profit retention, material incentives.’

’To put it bluntly, factories would have money and could buy things themselves to reward their workers.’

’And what would the factories need? Cigarettes, coffee, chocolate, jeans—all the consumer goods that could be given out as rewards.’

’Could the state-run stores supply them? Impossible. East Germany’s planned economy was so strained it couldn’t even handle daily supplies; waiting three months in line for a bicycle was normal. Once the reform began and the pilot factories had money in hand, where would they go to see immediate results?’

’The Black Market.’

’And they wouldn’t want East German goods. They’d want goods from West Germany—high quality, impressive stuff that would make the workers feel like "the reforms are actually doing some good."’

Werner stubbed out his cigarette and leaned back in his chair.

’This was a huge deal, bigger than any business he’d done before. But it was also dangerous. It involved state policy; one wrong move and he’d get burned.’

’But fortune favors the bold.’

’Besides, he had an advantage—he knew this reform would fail. But before it did, there would be a golden period. He just needed to make enough money during that time and get out completely before the policies tightened up again.’

Werner stood up and walked to the window. The night outside was impenetrably dark, with only a few distant streetlights flickering.

’Tomorrow, I’ll start making my move.’

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

At three o’clock the next afternoon, Werner walked into the foreign trade store.

The store wasn’t crowded. A few well-dressed women were selecting goods at the counter. Eva stood behind a shelf, organizing a new shipment of canned goods from West Germany.

"Eva," Werner said, walking over and lowering his voice. "Are you free? I need to talk to you about something."

Eva looked up and glanced around. "Now?"

"No rush. After your shift," Werner said. "The usual place. The café."

Eva hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

At six in the evening, the two were sitting in a small café near Alexanderplatz.

"What’s so secretive?" Eva asked, stirring her coffee, a hint of exhaustion in her voice.

"A big business opportunity," Werner said. "I need your help."

"Business again?" Eva frowned. "Werner, when you told me Vonke came looking for you, I had a bad feeling. Shouldn’t you be more careful lately? Don’t let Vonke get something on you."

"I know," Werner said. "But this time is different. This is legitimate business. You could even say it’s helping the country."

"Helping the country?" Eva looked at him in disbelief. "A Black Market dealer can help the country?"

"Have you heard of the New Economic System?"

Eva shook her head.

Werner lowered his voice. "It’s a reform policy Ublis is preparing to implement. Simply put, it will give some factories the right to use their own profits to buy things to reward their workers."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"It has everything to do with you," Werner said. "The factories will need to buy things, and they’ll want to buy good things—West German goods. You work in the foreign trade store and know many officials’ wives. Their husbands work in various departments and are sure to know which factories will become pilot sites."

Eva understood. "You want me to fish for information?"

"Not fishing, just casual chatting," Werner said. "You’re already familiar with those wives. When you’re making small talk, just ask what their husbands have been busy with lately, if there are any new policies. They love to show off, so they’ll definitely talk."

Eva was silent for a few seconds. "And if I get caught?"

"You won’t get caught," Werner said. "You’re just making small talk, not officially prying for secrets. Besides, this policy will be made public sooner or later. You’ll just know a little bit ahead of time."

Eva bit her lip, staring at her reflection in the coffee cup. After a long moment, she nodded. "Alright, I’ll try. But if it gets dangerous, I’m out at any time."

"Of course." Werner extended his hand. "To our partnership."

Eva took his hand. Her fingers were a little cold.

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

At eight o’clock that night, Werner arrived at a small tavern near the border checkpoint.

Matthias was already waiting there, dressed in civilian clothes, with two glasses of beer on the table in front of him.

"Werner," Matthias said, pushing a beer toward him. "What do you need?"

Werner sat down and took a sip of beer. "I’ve got a big job. I need your help."

"What kind of job?"