Chapter 30

Through the analysis of comprehensive data, this youngest lieutenant general director of the KGB, known for his extremely tough style and methods, is the youngest among the KGB directors in the Soviet Union, carrying the title of the youngest lieutenant general in the entire Soviet Union. He is more difficult to deal with than other officials of the same rank, showing the same ruthlessness towards enemies as predecessors like Yezhov, Yagoda, and Beria, adhering to the principle of no coexistence with the enemy. He is known as the "Tiger of the Caspian" within the Soviet Union.

What Allen Dulles found hardest to believe was that this young and powerful Cherov almost completely hid all his weaknesses. For him, working at the KGB was no different from working in a factory. In the two years since he took office, he has been active on the front lines of the Soviet Union, a standard firefighter. It seems that opposing the United States is his driving force for survival, "Was this person secretly trained from a young age? To believe so much in the greatness of communism?"

However, no matter what, Dulles knew that West Berlin had welcomed a tough opponent. This Soviet agent has shown two very clear characteristics in his consistent work: the first is that he never compromises, and no one has ever gained an advantage over him, including the United States. The second is his swift action. Before he acts, he often uses the KGB's massive support capabilities to cover his tracks completely. Once he acts, it becomes clear that he has already mobilized all the KGB departments to deliver a fatal blow.

The CIA had long established a secret file on Cherov, but so far, it only contained a single file folder, which indirectly reflected the CIA's incompetence in this area. But to be fair, it wasn't the CIA's fault; it was just that the communists were too cunning! Cherov never felt that being monitored by the KGB was an invasion of privacy. Whether working in the Soviet Union or abroad, he was always followed by a large group of KGB agents. Wherever he went, the KGB's power followed, leaving the CIA with no opportunity to investigate.

This was not something Dulles could think through on his own, so he called his intelligence chief, Henry, who had been responsible for investigating Cherov. If there was anyone in the United States who understood Cherov, it was Henry. But in fact, Dulles wasn't sure if understanding through file analysis counted as true understanding.

"Cherov is in Berlin?" The news of Cherov's arrival in Berlin had just reached Washington from West Berlin, and Henry, who didn't know about it yet, asked, pausing for a moment before saying, "If Cherov has a lot of autonomy, the negotiations in Berlin will be at an impasse. This person doesn't know the meaning of compromise! From past interactions, it's clear that as long as he feels he has a thirty percent chance, he will act, making the situation extremely tense..."

"Does he have no concerns at all?" Dulles, covering his forehead, asked with a bitter smile.

"Probably not, Director!" Henry said helplessly, "Cherov started a prison cleanup operation shortly after taking over the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Azerbaijan. Two years ago, he succeeded in Italy and subsequently quelled the riots in Poznan and Hungary! Hoping he will have any concerns is better than expressing sincerity to Soviet leaders..." He paused and added, "I wonder if loving his wife too much counts as a weakness. We have photos of Valya; she is truly a woman of extraordinary beauty!"

In East Berlin, Cherov sneezed twice in his sleep, then changed to a more comfortable position and continued sleeping. His movements caused two murmurs from the women on either side, Isayevna and Lukani, both of whom had sweet smiles on their faces. The entangled bodies on the large bed indicated that Cherov was not only not cursed but was living quite comfortably.

The morning sun shone through the curtains, and Cherov, who had slept in, opened his eyes. The fragrance of the woman lingered, and he got up naked, dressed, and after washing up, started preparing breakfast. Lukani, holding a telegram from home, said, "Minister Mendeleev sent a telegram. The Action Execution Department has succeeded, and the goods will land at the port of Rostock in East Germany..."

Cherov continued eating expressionlessly, finished all the food, wiped his hands, and drank a glass of water, saying, "Having the Action Execution Department do the work of thieves is a bit of a waste, but it's worth it! We'll go to the port of Rostock tomorrow!"

"Director, don't we need to oversee the negotiations with the representatives of the three countries tomorrow?" Isayevna reminded him from the side.

"Just let the negotiators stall the representatives of the three countries. If they are unwilling to wait, let them leave. I'm not interested in talking either. They can wait to be security guards in a refugee camp, hmpf..." Cherov said impatiently, knowing he wouldn't compromise. The so-called negotiations for a solution were worthless to him...

At night, at the port of Rostock, a long-distance fishing boat slowly docked. This boat, which had returned from Scotland, UK, was expensive, but compared to what was unloaded from it, it was nothing.

"Comrades, you have worked hard. Go rest, and leave the rest to us! This time, your contributions will ensure a lifetime of care under the Soviet system!" Cherov waved his hand, and the internal security troops took over, lifting several boxes onto a truck and transporting them to the KGB headquarters.

Cherov, acting as an armed escort, looked so serious that the two women were very curious. It wasn't until they reached East Berlin that they felt their hearts ease.

"Director, what's inside the boxes!" Isayevna had been tormented by curiosity all the way, wondering what could make Cherov skip the negotiations and personally go to Rostock to meet a seemingly ordinary fishing boat.

"Do you want to know?" Cherov pulled Isayevna over and kissed her hard, then took the key to the iron box from his pocket, shook it, and handed it to her, saying, "Why don't you open it and see for yourself..."

Ah! A clearly suppressed cry came, and Lukani also walked over, followed by another soft moan.

"What? Haven't you seen gold before?" Cherov, with a confident smile, walked to the iron boxes and opened all of them. Each box was filled with gold and silver, including jewelry, statues, decorations, gold coins, and neatly arranged gold bars. He hugged the two women and whispered, "Do you like it? Pick one as a keepsake..."

This treasure trove is the famous Hoxne Hoard, which includes over 500 ancient Roman gold coins, 79 silver spoons, more than 20 silver candlesticks, some small silver statues, and 29 pieces of finely crafted gold jewelry. The most valuable item is 250 kilograms of gold bars.

Cherov recalled the Hoxne Hoard after his health issues. He had Mendeleev's First Chief Directorate Action Execution Department prepare for it. To make the treasure more authentic, he had his former subordinate, the head of the First Chief Directorate's Disinformation Department, Shirekov, create some related evidence. If someone investigated, it would be easy to explain. Compared to this treasure, the negotiations with the representatives of the three countries were worthless.