Chapter 31

"Can you do it?" Isamotni's voice trembled, the value of the treasure, just from the gold alone, was evident at a glance, not to mention its historical and artistic value. Wealth could sway hearts, and even she, who had never worried about money, now showed an uncertain expression, wanting to take it but not daring to.

"What are you hesitating about?" Sherov took out two ancient Roman gold coins from the treasure and placed them directly in the woman's hand, saying, "Keep them as a memento. It's the skill of our intelligence agency to make foreigners suffer. But we can't do this in our own country. Once this treasure is transported back to the Soviet Union, it will belong to the state. Anyone who dares to touch it, I'll cut off their hands..."

"Director, shouldn't you leave some for Mrs. Varya?" Lukani tightly clutched the ancient Roman gold coins in her hand, her palms sweating with tension, but she didn't forget to remind Sherov not to forget his wife.

"No need, there will be another chance!" Sherov laughed, who said there was only one opportunity? When he had the chance to enter India, there would be a large golden temple waiting for him, "Send a telegram to No. 11 Lubyanka Square, have Chairman Serov send the internal troops to receive it. Lock the iron boxes, take inventory, and prepare a list for handover to the country..."

From start to finish, Sherov was not tempted by the treasure. He understood a simple truth: with the KGB, he, Sherov, was the mighty Caspian Tiger. Without the KGB, he was just an ordinary person with no means of protection. An ordinary person couldn't protect such wealth, and he had no environment to spend it in.

Even before Sherov's telegram, upon learning that he did not participate in the negotiations, Serov immediately called to inquire. He asked in detail why he did not appear, "Yuri, even if you don't want to negotiate there, you should at least show up to express your stance!"

"Chairman, I have a big surprise for you! Whether you want to share this surprise with the General Secretary is up to you! Send a trusted force to receive a batch of items. Once you see the items, you'll think not participating in the negotiations was a small matter!" Lying on the bed, Sherov laughed, "I'll attend the meeting in half a month. Who said I don't want to show up? I love such public occasions to mock my opponents!"

Sherov's words left Serov on the other end of the phone completely puzzled. What could be more important than participating in the negotiations? "Yuri, the motherland sent you to Berlin because they trust your abilities. Don't go too far!" Serov always felt that there were landmines waiting for him ahead, and the one who planted them was his most capable director, Sherov.

"Rest assured! Don't you trust my abilities? Leave the Berlin crisis to me!" Sherov had never known how to be humble, rambling on, "Chairman, allocate me some funds, in Deutsche Marks. They're just scraps of paper anyway! Don't worry, the things I bring back to the country will be worth much more than the funds I request. A few million dollars in emergency funds would also do. If I don't act, those lackeys in West Berlin won't be my match. Rest assured..."

Having obtained the authority and funds he needed, Sherov said to the two women in his arms, "See, who says the KGB chairman is hard to approach? He's quite reasonable! The old man is still working so late, he must be tired. Let's go to sleep!" As he spoke, Sherov turned off the bedside lamp and continued to enjoy his life as a winner.

At the headquarters of the East German Stasi, Sherov found Markus Wolf. During the last negotiation, he had temporarily gone to the port, and this man, the head of the East German foreign intelligence service, had taken charge. He came just to symbolically ask about the process, showing that he was also concerned about such matters. The last meeting could be summed up in one sentence: both sides fully exchanged opinions but held reservations about the talks.

"No matter how many times we talk, it's the same. If we don't give them a taste of our strength, they'll really think we're paper tigers!" Sherov put his feet on the table, leaning back in his chair, his casual attitude like that of a hooligan...

"I know there won't be any results, but there's no other way. Since we can't fight, we can only talk!" Markus Wolf also shrugged, since both sides were idle, they might as well sit down and talk!

"You Stasi are indeed formidable. In the entire socialist camp, no intelligence agency can do things without the KGB's knowledge, but you managed to!" Sherov took his feet off the table, stood up, and leaned forward, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a low voice, "East Germany is suffering from a severe population drain, so you thought of sealing off West Berlin? Those building materials scattered around West Berlin are for building a wall, right?"

Impressive! Markus Wolf's heart raced, looking at his younger colleague with shock, his voice still calm, "This is also a form of self-defense. I didn't expect that Comrade Sherov would discover our preparations so quickly after arriving in Berlin!"

"If I weren't in the KGB, why would I be considered a natural fit for the KGB?" Sherov praised himself first. The Stasi's actions were quite secretive, and most people wouldn't suspect anything about the piled-up building materials, thinking they were just waste. But Sherov knew the process of building the Berlin Wall, so he immediately thought of East Germany's secret preparations when he saw the materials.

"I didn't come to blame you!" Sherov sat back in his chair, relaxing his tone, "Your preparations are far from sufficient. At most, you can build a two-meter-high wall. What's the point? Any adult can climb over it!"

"It seems our Soviet comrades are here to cooperate. I represent the Stasi in welcoming this!" Markus Wolf said with a restrained smile, never expecting Sherov to be so supportive.

Sherov snapped his fingers, and Isamotni, standing behind him, brought out a map of Greater Berlin, marking the invisible boundary between East and West Berlin. Then another map showed the underground waterways, power networks, and rivers of Berlin.

"West Berlin has two reservoirs supplying its drinking water! The Spree and Havel rivers are the sources of these reservoirs. Building a wall is useless; you must divert the rivers so they no longer flow through West Berlin!" Sherov suddenly paused, "Without water and electricity, we need a five-meter-high, forty-centimeter-wide wall to encircle West Berlin, with guard posts and high-power searchlights. Every night, the people of West Berlin will feel the glare of the searchlights, knowing we are monitoring every move inside the city! We need to make all the people of West Berlin understand that they are being watched, at all times, with no secrets from us!"