Chapter 80

Sherov was confident, just as some of the media in Hope Country had said, the secret police organizations of some authoritarian countries always believed themselves to be all-knowing and all-powerful, and coincidentally, Sherov was just such a person! His confidence was different from Khrushchev's superficial blind confidence and also different from Shelepin's confidence in his own abilities! Sherov's confidence was based on the KGB organization, he was well aware that he was an ordinary person, and what he could do was to make his organization grow and develop. For this, he could remain clean and not engage in corruption, and he could also use any means to eliminate the enemies of the Soviet Union.

The abolition of the death penalty in the Soviet Union was not a problem; the elimination of the state's enemies could be done by circumventing the law. Khrushchev restricted privileges, Shelepin avoided privileges, and Sherov wanted to turn certain privileges into something ordinary people could enjoy. Once everyone could get it, it would no longer be a privilege!

In the evening, Khrushchev hosted a banquet for the Nixons at the Kremlin, seemingly completely forgetting the events of the day. In fact, Khrushchev was the most human of the Soviet General Secretaries, appearing more genuine! At this moment, Khrushchev was a hospitable host, leading the other members of the Soviet Central Committee in frequent toasts, and the atmosphere between the two sides was very harmonious. After drinking a lot of vodka, Khrushchev asked Nixon to join them in throwing the beautiful crystal glasses into the fireplace, creating a loud, crisp sound.

As the head of security, Sherov ate a little and then left the banquet hall, leisurely strolling around the Kremlin. Sherov was not stopped because the Kremlin garrison was trained by the KGB, and many of the soldiers were selected by Sherov from the Red Army through the Military Administration Department. Some of the commanders even recognized him...

Sherov's job should have ended with escorting Khrushchev back to the Kremlin, but he was called by Khrushchev and followed him into this symbol of the Soviet Union. Passing by the still-under-construction Kremlin Palace of Congresses, they arrived at the Grand Kremlin Palace. "Yuri, many of the products shown today were truly eye-opening, but why have I never seen such designs before?" Khrushchev's gaze was somewhat aggressive; the feeling of not knowing anything was quite unpleasant, and he did not like this feeling.

"Because they haven't been put into production? Comrade First Secretary, none of the products you saw today have been put into production; they are just prototypes!" Sherov stood straight, his face unchanged, and said in a deep voice, "In other words, all the things that appeared in the Soviet Union today are unique, except for the electronic camera..."

"Can't they be put into production? Why?" Khrushchev asked, somewhat puzzled. He could see that the kitchen utensils and appliances were very convenient, so why couldn't they be produced?

"Comrade First Secretary, take the juicer as an example. From the farmers' market, you can see that our country has few types and quantities of fruits. People can't even guarantee eating fruit every day, so what market would there be for a juicer with only one function? Of course, this is just one aspect. Take the semi-stainless steel electric kettle, for example; the products you saw are not yet mature. The heating base still has some issues, such as overheating, which can easily cause damage!" Sherov resumed his role as a salesman from the day, but this time his audience was only Khrushchev.

"As for the electronic camera, the Technology Management Department has prepared it for television stations. This might be the only product that doesn't have to worry about sales for now. Many other things are not supported by the Soviet infrastructure. Even if they were distributed to the people, they would be left unused. Before giving these things to the people, we need to ensure a stable power supply and decent housing! That's the foundation!" Sherov concluded his statement. It wasn't that the Soviet Union couldn't produce these appliances and tools; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to explain how the Soviet Union could send rockets into space. The current infrastructure simply couldn't support them, and it wouldn't make sense to give people a bunch of appliances when they lived in drafty, broken-down houses without electricity.

"You're right, our work hasn't been done well enough, and the housing problem still needs to be solved!" Khrushchev did not lose his temper as he usually would. First, Sherov's rank was too low, at least compared to him! Khrushchev was unwilling to lower himself. Second, when it came to the housing issue, Khrushchev was actively promoting the construction of Khrushchev buildings and treating this issue as his political achievement, so he naturally wouldn't lose his temper over something he was dedicated to solving. "But keeping these products in the warehouse is a waste, isn't it?"

"They can be produced in Italy or domestically and exported to Europe. First, to win the hearts of the Italian people, and second, to earn foreign exchange!" To be honest, Sherov found it very tiring to maintain this serious demeanor. If he were at KGB headquarters, he would have been lying on the sofa talking to Shelepin. "Competing with foreign products and improving the existing products, once the housing problem is solved and the products are improved, they can be distributed to the people!"

"Your KGB has used this method to solve part of the funding problem, hasn't it? I heard this suggestion was also yours. You, this little tiger, really have some ideas!" Khrushchev neither approved nor disapproved, but during his efforts to save funds for the nuclear and space industries, he did hope that departments like the KGB could ask for less money.

Khrushchev didn't realize one thing: the First Directorate had many more ways to make money around the world than what was reported to him. Only three people in the entire KGB knew this, or rather, two people: Shelepin and Sherov. General Sakhatovsky could be considered half.

"Tomorrow, Nixon will host a banquet at the American embassy, and you will have to work a few more days!" Khrushchev said calmly. For a moment, Khrushchev had an impulse to transfer Sherov to the Ministry of Machine Building, but he quickly abandoned the idea.

Khrushchev trusted Shelepin very much and had heard him say more than once that Sherov was born for the KGB. Moreover, Sherov's career had always been linked to emergencies. The KGB would lose a top-notch director, especially during a time of military downsizing, which would be a significant loss. Since Sherov was so young, there was plenty of time for him to get involved in other work.

"Alright, I'll arrange the security for the American embassy tomorrow!" Sherov's face changed, but he could not refuse. The agents he arranged had buried instruments with significant radioactive sources in the American embassy for surveillance. In other words, the American embassy was essentially a slow-killing place, and who would want to go there?

It should be fine for a day, right? The risk of cancer would be a bit higher, but it would take at least a year or two to affect the body. Sherov could only comfort himself this way. After much deliberation, he decided not to dig them out, at least not from the Kremlin.

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