Chapter 38

"Greater Berlin is a whole..." This statement was cut off by Shefov, who said, "Berlin hasn't been a whole since World War II. West Berlin is under the control of your three countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France! We can't interfere with West Berlin, which is under your control. This renovation plan has nothing to do with West Berlin. Personally, I usually think about how to build the Soviet Union, and if I were a bit more internationalist, this scope would expand to the entire socialist bloc, but it doesn't include West Berlin. West Berlin is your problem, not mine..."

This rebuke left the British speechless. Finally, he said, "Then you don't care about the needs of the people in West Berlin?"

"Can I control that?" Shefov stopped eating only when his stomach felt full. By then, he had eaten the amount of food that three normal people would eat. His good appetite left the British standing in front of him speechless. Truly, they thought, he is the bear they imagined. He burped contentedly and leaned against a brick, grinning. "As the occupying force, can't you make even a little contribution? How can you come to the so-called evil Soviets for help? Have you already forgotten Churchill's Iron Curtain speech? That was your Prime Minister's speech..."

Shefov, having replenished his energy, stood up leisurely and vigorously brushed the dust off his pants, causing the British staff beside him to frown repeatedly. "Since you've been pretending to be gentlemen for so long, I won't mock you today. If there's nothing else, go back to West Berlin. We all know the negotiations won't yield any results. If we can't reach an agreement, why waste time?"

Today, Shefov was in a good mood, partly because he didn't have time to argue, so he decided to let these British off the hook. He still had to discuss with the construction workers whether exposed wires or hidden wires in the walls were better. Personally, he would rather talk with a group of construction workers about how to make cement sticky than sit at a negotiating table with people who had ulterior motives, especially when the negotiations wouldn't yield any results.

"Negotiations are still better. Shefov, please don't be so arrogant. After all, the situation in Berlin can only be resolved together. You may always look at the problem from the Soviet perspective, but don't forget the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are also involved. It seems we are still the stronger side!" The interpreter, unable to contain himself, interjected with a veiled threat before the British representative could speak.

Shefov, who was about to leave, paused slightly, turned around, and looked at the British man who had spoken with a mocking gaze. Yes! He should be around my age. His chestnut hair was neatly combed, and he was impeccable in appearance, which made the contrast with Shefov even more obvious. He was dressed in a very misleading manner! Shefov gave his assessment.

Since you're offering your face for me to hit, I won't be polite! Shefov seemed to ponder for a moment before slowly speaking, "Is that so? The enemy opposite the Soviet Union is so powerful? Has the Suez Canal War three years ago not taught you a lesson? Do you still think you're the British Empire? Are you still the British Empire that never sets? Don't tell me a loose Commonwealth can still be a force to be reckoned with in the world. You? Ha, a country that can be flattened with three hydrogen bombs, and France might be a bit stronger, but it would still take five hydrogen bombs!"

"The times have changed. Stop playing your balance of power game. You can't afford it anymore..." Shefov didn't hold back, stripping away the last vestiges of the British Empire's dignity. What era are we in? Still playing splendid isolation? The world's troublemaker indeed lives up to its name, but the premise of splendid isolation is that the British Empire is the strongest and has plenty of loyal henchmen. When you're strong, you can say anything, but now the strongest country in the world has changed. Both the United States and the Soviet Union are much stronger than the United Kingdom. A child playing tricks to incite two adults to fight? You'll just end up a laughingstock.

"Without your colonies, you will only get weaker. In another twenty years, you won't even have the right to stand in front of me!" Shefov said with a serious grin, "Remember my words. In just twenty years, you will return to your rightful place. It's more practical to try to prevent the decline of the United Kingdom. As for the battle between us and the Americans, you should stay out of it. Gentlemen, it's more suitable for you to leisurely drink some tea and take a walk!"

Shefov was about to say more when a whistle blew, signaling the lunch break. Construction workers who had been resting in various places stood up and returned to their positions, chatting. Shefov waved his hand, and Isayev, who had been standing beside him, extended her hand in a gesture of invitation. "Gentlemen, you should return to West Berlin. The Director is very busy and can't afford to waste time on you..."

This statement deeply wounded the British. In Isayev's words, mixing cement was work, while restarting negotiations was a waste of time. Even though they knew the Soviet woman was deliberately saying this, the British, who had grown up in the era when the British Empire was the world's dominant power, still felt a deep pain. In just twenty years, they had fallen to the point of being ignored.

After a busy day, Shefov returned to his quarters, tidied up, took a shower, and turned on the lamp to read documents from home, including the newspaper Pravda. "The verdict of the shooting of KGB staff should not be kept secret. It makes us look like we did something wrong!" Shefov wrote his comments with a fountain pen and said to Lukani, "Distribute the verdict as a case study to the entire military. Let the Red Army soldiers take it as a warning. Pay special attention to education on nationalism and religious extremism. Emphasize that the criminals in the shooting case were influenced by Turkey and religious factors. Understand?"

"Understood, Director! Should we use this case to combat the trend of religious influence in the military?" Isayev suggested, taking the opportunity to push her idea.

"I will handle this myself. The department heads in the country may not have the ability to implement it!" Shefov didn't specify when he would start, but it was inevitable. He intended to make religion a non-essential part of life. The Caucasus and Central Asia were the worst-hit areas, and Shefov would eventually take action. There were two different religions in the Soviet Union, and if religious forces were to revive, they would inevitably clash.

Before going to bed, Shefov saw a newspaper from the Komsomol. The current First Secretary of the Komsomol was Semichastny, who had always appeared in public as a friend of Shelepin. Shefov was drawn to the headline of the Komsomol Pravda, which envisioned a beautiful future for the Soviet Union in 2010. Every Soviet citizen would have a video mobile phone, making the world a small place; money would no longer circulate because any goods would be available in unlimited quantities for free; grocery stores would be deserted as people would usually eat in public canteens, and housewives would only cook during holidays.

All physical labor would be done by robots, and crime, prisons, and criminals would become a thing of the past because people's hearts would be filled with happiness and security. Well-maintained cars would line the city streets, available for anyone who needed them. After reaching their destination, one would simply park the car in a nearby lot for the next citizen to use.

Shefov read the entire newspaper from start to finish, noting the date: April 7, 1959. "Keep this newspaper. Semichastny has people like this under him. After I finish at the construction site tomorrow, I will also make a prediction about life fifty years from now. We'll see whose prediction is more accurate!" Shefov said confidently to the two women.

[Thank you to all the friends who support Qing Shan. Thank you all...]

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