Chapter 11

The power of a collective is something that no individual can replace. In this era of two superpowers confronting each other, as an individual, Sherov could not reverse the overall weakness of the socialist camp. Perhaps God could do it, but he did not believe in such a thing. Fortunately, Sherov was now part of a collective. The KGB was powerful, had immense authority, and its influence was omnipresent. Each department was responsible for various aspects of Soviet society, and they trusted each other, calmly observing the situation in the Soviet Union. Being in such a collective, Sherov felt like a fish in water. He only needed to propose suggestions, and auxiliary departments would carry them out. Upon careful consideration, it seemed that there was no industry in the Soviet Union that was not under the KGB's surveillance.

The first plenary session could only be considered an opening ceremony. Following this, the KGB held a three-day conference to review the typical issues encountered over the past year. Representatives from the Second Main Directorate's Eighth Department, responsible for cultural oversight, the Ninth Department, responsible for monitoring college students, and the Tenth Department, responsible for monitoring intellectuals, all took turns speaking, sharing their experiences with the delegates. General Karpov, head of the Fifth Department of the Secret Police, which oversaw religion, also spoke about the current state of religious affairs in the Soviet Union. As the chairman of the Soviet Committee for Religious Affairs, General Karpov detailed the areas where religious groups were concentrated and offered his opinions on how to curb the spread of religious influence.

"We must prohibit individuals from forming secret religious organizations. Once discovered, immediate action must be taken!" General Karpov said loudly. "Our stance on religion has always been clear: suppress, control, and eliminate! A total of 980 people have been arrested for involvement in secret religious organizations, including various religious groups in the Soviet Union. Our attitude is the same towards all: complete transformation. Backward thinking cannot continue to exist, and the people's minds cannot be constrained..."

After General Karpov finished speaking, Sherov led the applause, and under his lead, General Karpov received unanimous praise from all the conference attendees.

After General Karpov stepped down, Sherov stood up and shook hands with him. Sherov felt a sense of regret for not meeting him sooner. He strongly agreed with General Karpov's thinking. Since there were two significant religious forces in the Soviet Union, supporting one and suppressing the other was not a viable solution. Only by taking strong action to eliminate both simultaneously could the problem be solved. If the two religions could not coexist peacefully, turning everyone into atheists might be a good alternative.

Next, the head of the Sixth Department of the Secret Police took the stage. Compared to General Karpov, this person was less impressive. However, this was unavoidable, as ethnic issues required political correctness. Even if the head of this department was a Great Russian nationalist, he could only talk about ethnic equality on the stage.

Only the First Main Directorate had not yet taken the stage. This was because the First Main Directorate dealt with foreign intelligence, and some departments could not be revealed, such as the department responsible for assassinations, the department for creating false intelligence, the department for disguises, and the department for fake passports. These departments not only could not take the stage but also had to remain hidden.

After the KGB spent three days handling all the matters, from the fourth day onwards, the number of participants in the grand hall increased. The First Main Directorate, responsible for liaising with security departments of allied countries, invited representatives from the security agencies of East Germany, Romania, and other foreign comrades to attend the conference. Representatives from Yugoslavia and Albania attended as observers.

According to the intelligence cooperation mechanism signed between the Soviet KGB and other brother countries, this plenary session of the KGB saw the first appearance of many foreign faces. Both sides would exchange ideas on cooperation and division of labor.

"Aleksey, don't you feel like the world is in our hands!" Sherov leaned his head towards the head of the Secret Police and asked.

"In terms of scale, the KGB seems to be larger than it was in our time!" General Aleksey yawned lazily and said, "But in terms of momentum, it still falls short of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during Beria's time. It lacks the intimidating presence that made people dare not look directly..."

"Perhaps that's for the better. I've seen the consequences of being too intimidating. Sometimes it's better to be more modest!" Sherov tilted his head and said with a double meaning, "Your Ministry of Internal Affairs was too arrogant, which is why it was split into two parts!"

Aleksey really wanted to argue, but Sherov ignored him. Just as the Bulgarian representative finished speaking, Sherov suddenly stood up, clapping and shouting his approval. Seeing a high-ranking official from the First Main Directorate stand up and clap, everyone else immediately stood up and clapped loudly, drowning out Aleksey's voice in the wave of applause.

The week-long conference concluded, and Sherov finally completed his work for 1958. The leaders of the KGB at all levels rarely gathered together. They opened bottles of whiskey that cost one dollar each, and the heads of the intelligence agencies, having completed their annual tasks, gathered in the grand club at night for a rare party, dancing gracefully to the melodious music.

"I thought you KGB people would never attend such a party. Why did you invite me? Wouldn't you be more free here on your own?" Naturally, the only person by Sherov's side was his wife, Valya. Without her coat, Valya's figure was curvaceous, and she watched the human side of the intelligence chiefs with great interest.

"Indeed, I would be more free!" Sherov nodded in agreement and then whispered, "But you are my wife, and you must be present at such occasions, right?"

This man always made her feel warm inside. Valya's face lit up with a charming smile, and she took Sherov's hand, leading the clumsy Sherov to dance gracefully, perfectly blending into the music.

"Yuri always brings that flower of the Komsomol to such important occasions!" Shelepin looked at the two people in front of him, who seemed oblivious to others, and teased General Sakhatovsky.

"Young people are so lucky. I didn't have such occasions when I was young! We could barely afford to eat, let alone dance at parties!" General Sakhatovsky sighed, "Being young is so good..."

After the dance, Sherov held Valya's small hand and returned to their seats, which were already occupied by two women in female military uniforms. Sherov's expression changed slightly, but he continued walking and sat down. "What's wrong? Bored in the dormitory, so you came out for a walk?"

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