Chapter 3

The car stopped in front of the headquarters of the Military Administration Bureau. After giving Shelepov a hug, Valya drove away. Shelepov took a deep breath, letting the cold Moscow wind disperse his chaotic thoughts, and then entered his workplace under the Soviet emblem that spanned the globe at the entrance of the building.

To be honest, Shelepov was far from being as indifferent as he appeared on the surface. Although he did not understand the profound theories and medical knowledge, he knew the basic principles. The facts were clear: compared to normal people, he was already abnormal. Regardless of whether this change was good or bad, it was a knot in his heart.

"Would I be set up as a model if I died young? Become a communist role model when issuing documents?" Shelepov, with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, nodded to the comrades of the Military Administration Bureau who were coming towards him and promptly arrived at his office.

Upon entering his office, Shelepov hung his military overcoat on the coat rack by the door and took out his schedule from the desk. The next day, he would inspect the 404 military factory; the day after, he would check the KGB military office in the Moscow Military District; and the day after that, he would go to the General Staff. Various schedules were already arranged until mid-month. After the 15th, a year-end meeting would be held at No. 11 Lubyanka Square, where the dozens of KGB directors who rarely gathered throughout the year would all attend.

"Director, you're late today!" Just as he closed his schedule, he heard his confidential secretary, Isayevna, walk in, holding a cup of already prepared coffee. With her chestnut hair, smooth like silk, tied into a neat ponytail, the tall and beautiful woman in military uniform was very eye-catching wherever she went.

"Notify all department heads to prepare their materials; we will have a meeting in fifteen minutes!" However, Shelepov, who saw beautiful women every day, clearly considered work the most important thing. He glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Before that, I need to eat first. You can directly bring the food from the canteen to the meeting room..."

"Our director hasn't eaten yet, hehe, I'll go prepare it right away!" Isayevna giggled and left Shelepov's office.

Thus, when the twelve department heads arrived at the meeting room fifteen minutes later, they saw the following scene: Shelepov, with his back to everyone, was hunched over the table, using two small chopsticks to continuously put food into his mouth, just like a soldier who had just retreated from the front lines of Stalingrad.

Hearing the door open, Shelepov stuffed in the last piece of potato, threw the chopsticks onto the plate, and pushed it aside. Lukani, who had been waiting on the side, took the leftovers and wiped the table, then left with a small waist twist.

"I'm very sorry, comrades! I was delayed by something today!" Shelepov belched without any restraint and said.

Yeah! It's obvious! All the department heads looked at each other; to forget eating must be a very significant matter.

"Alright, in half a month, a meeting will be held at Lubyanka to summarize our State Security Committee's work for the year. Before that, I will first verify the work of our Third Directorate. Let's start now!" Shelepov gave a speech as usual and then asked each department head to speak.

"Comrade Shelepov, the materials we are responsible for, which correspond to the domestic military districts, are all here. I will start the report!" The head of the First Department, Colonel Pavlov, took out a stack of documents and read, "Since the second half of the year, the results of the investigation into Bonapartist elements in the Red Army are as follows: 94 generals and above have been dismissed and retired, 157 colonels, and lower-ranking officers, who were misled and caused little harm, have been mainly educated! After September, we thoroughly investigated underground publications in the Red Army and found 13 enemy underground publications!"

Listening to Colonel Pavlov's report, Shelepov supported his chin with his right hand, hoping to find something new, but unfortunately, he did not. After Colonel Pavlov finished his report, Shelepov summarized, "Our bureau has only been established for a year, so many things are still in the initial stage. Time is tight, and we must be vigilant against enemy forces undermining the Red Army. Next year, we have a whole year to clear out the Bonapartist elements. The Red Army must be loyal to the party and the state. The defense of the people cannot have independent thoughts. Do all comrades understand?"

"Soviet, hurrah!" The twelve department heads responded in unison, as if they had rehearsed.

"The Seventh Department is responsible for inspecting and protecting all military enterprises nationwide to prevent imperialism from exploiting any loopholes! In this process, we discovered shameful waste in various military factories. After calculations with the Technical Management Bureau, it was found that the waste is 20% higher than what we can afford!" The head of the Seventh Department, Khisaylev, stood up and reported. The Fifth and Sixth Departments mainly correspond to the four Soviet clusters in Eastern Europe, but due to personnel shortages, they are still just frameworks. Therefore, after Colonel Pavlov's report, it was the turn of the Seventh Department.

Waste in factories? This issue is not the first time Shelepov has encountered it. Last year in Moscow, or even earlier in Azerbaijan, he had already seen the rough production processes in local factories. No wonder comrades from other countries, after visiting, were not impressed by the Soviet socialist path. In other words, the Soviet development model, with its vast resources from half of Asia, can afford this, but other countries would certainly go bankrupt if they tried it.

Tapping the table awkwardly, Shelepov slowly said, "This situation is very important. The country is in a development stage and cannot afford such waste. At the KGB Presidium meeting in half a month, I will give a special explanation to Chairman Serov, adjusting the powers of our Military Administration Bureau to fully monitor military factories under the defense industry, avoiding waste while improving production efficiency!"

Shelepov and his twelve direct subordinates reviewed the achievements of the Military Administration Bureau in its first year. It can be said that the Third Directorate, which was officially established a year ago, has already begun to show results. He believed that a satisfactory report could be presented at the State Security Committee's plenary meeting. "Comrades, are there any other issues to report?"

"Director, at the border with Afghanistan in Central Asia, the border troops captured a drug trafficking gang! Here are the materials!" The head of the Twelfth Department stood up and waved a file. The Twelfth Department is the communication department between the Military Administration Bureau and the border troops, with slightly overlapping powers.

"Throw it over here for me to see!" As soon as Shelepov finished speaking, a stack of documents was thrown at his face. This slap in the face made all the department heads hold their breath, watching their director to see how he would react.