Chapter 45

"Get back!" The power of one person is insignificant, but the roar of thousands of Soviet Red Army soldiers was enough to make the enemy tremble before the battle even began.

"Shcherov, you have made the hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union even more intense. You are a criminal to world peace!" Stevenson said through gritted teeth, "Your actions are extremely irresponsible, you are a selfish person..."

"You overestimate yourself!" Shcherov's eyes were brighter than ever, "You are nothing but a dog of the capitalist government. There are plenty like you, and even if I kill you now, there will be thousands to replace you. Your master can do nothing more than wave a flag in the newspaper, and that's all. Do you really think the United States would start a war for you? Even if they did, you wouldn't win..."

"Essentially, we are the same. The difference is that I know I am part of the people, while you consider yourself superior! In reality, you have never entered the top echelons of capitalism. You think you are part of it, but in the eyes of those who truly hold power, you are expendable!" Shcherov narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, speaking calmly to the setting sun in the west, "Go back, don't make any more futile moves. If you want to understand me, talk more with Mr. Smith. Goodbye..."

"The border zone is managed by the German Democratic Republic, and all Soviet armed forces must not interfere! But if anyone from West Berlin tries to sneak out without inspection, the Soviet armed forces have the right to report it to the government of the German Democratic Republic!" Markus Wolf ordered the entire contingent of GDR internal security troops present.

"65th Guards Tank Regiment, stand by in place. The Soviet forces will remain here until the West Berlin armed forces withdraw!" Shcherov turned and walked past the line of T-54 tanks, giving the order without hesitation.

Shcherov got into a car without hesitation and soon disappeared from the scene of the standoff. The journalists present suddenly broke free from their frozen state, whispering and discussing their thoughts. From their professional perspective, what happened today was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it would certainly dominate the front pages of newspapers around the world.

A few hours later, sensational headlines began to appear on the front pages of major newspapers worldwide. The Times used "One Shot Away from World War" as its headline, analyzing the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in Berlin, stating, "Once the war begins, regardless of who wins, the Earth will be destroyed..."

The Daily Telegraph said, "The hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union over the Berlin issue has increased day by day. No one knows if they will wake up the next morning to the news of a military confrontation!" The report called for both sides to quickly engage in sincere negotiations.

The New York Times severely criticized the Soviet Union's indifference to the situation and commented on Shcherov, who was currently in Berlin, "This person is rated as the most outstanding young cadre in the KGB in the past decade, known for his ruthless methods and cold-blooded style, earning the title of 'Caspian Tiger.' The Soviet Union's dispatch of this person to Berlin shows no sincerity in resolving the issue..."

Only the Süddeutsche Zeitung did not focus on the standoff, instead emphasizing the events in the East Berlin city government. Markus Wolf's comments on the relationship between the GDR and the FRG were very neutral, "From General Markus Wolf's words and emotions, we sadly realize that, as a divided nation, we must become important members of two opposing camps. We, who are one people, must stand firm in our positions and confront each other. While people focus on the confrontation between the US and the USSR, we Germans must remember that we are one country!"

None of this had anything to do with Shcherov. Even if all the newspapers in the world predicted an imminent world war, he remained indifferent, as if he were in the eye of the storm. Shcherov not only felt no psychological burden but also felt quite good about himself.

"A bunch of sensationalist and irresponsible media!" Shcherov found the newspaper reports as hard to deal with as a sore bottom. The experience of being there and reading about it in the newspapers were two entirely different things. Shcherov believed from the beginning that even if he had killed Stevenson on the spot, no one would have dared to do anything to him. People think that superpowers like the United States and the Soviet Union are unbending and will go to any lengths to avenge a slight, but that's not the case. Both the United States and the Soviet Union suffered countless hidden losses during the Cold War, even after it ended. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, several fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan, but the Soviet Union tolerated it. In the 1970s, when American soldiers were killed on the 38th parallel by North Korean soldiers, the United States did not organize another UN force to invade North Korea.

The so-called tough stance is just to give an account to the people of their own country. When it comes to real incidents requiring a tough response, the bigger picture must be considered. The media always has excuses to calm the people's discontent. People are easily deceived, and once the political, economic, and moral aspects are analyzed, even the greatest anger is worn down.

If the roles were reversed, and Shcherov and Stevenson switched places, Shcherov would not have been able to change the situation. He would not have dared to order Sherman tanks to crash through the barbed wire, for fear of being killed on the spot. But the fact is that Shcherov, being on the defensive, could freely mock his opponent, while Stevenson could not.

This is not to say that Shcherov did not pay a price. He had already received a verbal warning from the KGB Presidium and was writing a self-criticism to account for the standoff to the domestic authorities.

"Director, here is the requested report on the expenses of the Western Group in the GDR, the development and industrial indicators of the GDR in recent years, and an analysis of the West German economy!" Isayevna stood in front of the desk, holding a thick stack of documents.

"Bring them in. Where is the Stasi report? Including the organizational structure and departmental information!" A hand emerged from a pile of documents over half a meter high, weakly grabbing at the air. With a sigh, Shcherov stood up from the mountain of documents, barely making his head visible to Isayevna, and said with a helpless tone, "Don't be mischievous at work!" He reached out and pulled the needed documents over, then sat back down, burying himself in the pile of papers.

In the KGB headquarters at Lubyanka Square, No. 11, in the capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow, Serov read Shcherov's self-criticism, "I made a mistake of individualism, disregarding the mainstream of world peace! However, the work in Berlin has achieved significant results..."

Shcherov's obviously perfunctory self-criticism was only about 300 words. Apart from a few sentences admitting that his methods were somewhat lacking, the rest was self-praise, which made Serov laugh.

---

The page is marked with ads.