Chapter 89

"Wait for me to come back to name it, I can't travel abroad anymore when I'm pregnant! This is the second time!" Variya hugged Shefov's head from the side, letting this man listen to the sound of the baby in her belly. She knew that this could ease Shefov's tension. As a wife, she was well aware of the man's insomnia when he was nervous. She also knew that Shefov really hated flying. But this time it couldn't be avoided; he would have to adapt sooner or later.

"I know, I'll call back!" Shefov, who was separated from the baby by a single belly, was stunned for a moment and then said, "At least I'll send a telegram!" In this era, it was uncertain whether a call from the United States to the Soviet Union could get through. It seemed that mobile phones were necessary; wired phones were still somewhat inconvenient.

Before boarding the plane at Moscow Airport, the passage on both sides was already filled with people seeing them off. Khrushchev waved to the crowd around him. Behind him was the Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko, and then Shefov himself, along with some security personnel. These were the elites Shefov had selected from the secret police corps. Beside Shefov was a young girl, Anna Stasyana, a Belarusian who had just returned from training in one of the seven special agent cities, Suyesnaya, which means "facing all Slavic countries."

Anna Stasyana, with her natural blonde hair tied in a ponytail, wore a white work uniform and followed Khrushchev. She was a very pretty girl. As for how pretty, after being influenced by blonde hair, blue eyes, high nose bridges, oval faces for so many years, Shefov, who was almost suffering from face blindness, couldn't find specific words to describe her. In short, she was beautiful.

Looking at the massive Tu-114 airliner, Shefov's steps paused slightly, but he ultimately overcame his inner barrier and entered the cabin. The Tu-114 was the largest airliner before the Boeing 747 appeared, breaking many world records of its time. The Tu-114 might not be well-known, but its other name, the Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber, which was still flying around Japan sixty years later, was world-renowned. The Tu-95 Bear was the prototype of the Tu-114 airliner!

Forty guards, as well as translators and other staff, also boarded the plane. Feeling a force pressing on their bodies, the massive Tu-114 took to the sky, beginning the Soviet leader's first visit to the United States.

As the Tu-114 flew steadily, people sitting in their seats could move around freely, but this did not include the secret police corps guards or Shefov himself. The guards had their duties and there were too many of them; if they all got up, there would be no space! As for why Shefov didn't move, the reason was simpler: he didn't want to! Especially on a plane...

There was another reason Shefov knew that, apart from Khrushchev himself, no one else on the plane knew: the only most advanced and largest airliner the Soviet Union could use had a crack in its engine! Although it was small and almost indistinguishable to the naked eye. Shefov had already reported this, but Khrushchev, determined to show the Americans the Soviet Union's most advanced airliner, refused to switch to another plane and insisted on using the Tu-114, which was modified from a bomber.

The Tu-114 was the only jet airliner in the world capable of flying directly from Moscow to Washington. The Soviet Union had only one Tu-114 available, and this plane made Khrushchev proud and confident. However, just before the flight, staff discovered a crack in the engine. Shefov suggested switching planes, but Khrushchev refused, willing to take any risk to impress the Americans, even at the cost of his and everyone else's lives on the plane.

"Indeed, the old revolutionary generation who came out of the war is truly fearless!" Shefov could only grit his teeth and board the clearly risky airliner, consoling himself that history wouldn't change, and Khrushchev wouldn't die in a plane crash.

But if history wouldn't change, he might as well die! Wouldn't that mean he was doing all this for nothing...

Khrushchev summoned Foreign Minister Gromyko and Shefov. "Currently, our relationship with the United States is very cold and tense. Therefore, the next two weeks are a crucial test for me. In politics, especially in diplomacy, the right balance is everything. If your tone is too soft, your enemies won't respect you. If you shout too much, you might end up scaring yourself. And I'm not going to any other country, but to the United States, our strongest opponent."

Khrushchev had been studying the intelligence gathered by the Foreign Ministry and the KGB. This time, he was truly hopeful, aiming to ease tensions with the United States and then focus on development.

Shefov listened silently to Khrushchev's speech. From what he knew of the current Soviet leadership, apart from Khrushchev himself, almost all high-ranking officials had no interest in easing tensions. Khrushchev's calls for détente had moved no one but himself.

"Comrade First Secretary, after your trip, I request to stay in the United States for two more days to contact the comrades from the First and Second Directorates!" Shefov requested. The First Directorate handled affairs in the United States and Canada, while the Second Directorate handled Latin America. He wanted to investigate in the heart of capitalism.

"Yuri, aren't you planning to go to China with us?" Foreign Minister Gromyko asked. Shefov was taken aback, and a complex look flashed in his eyes. "From a work perspective, China has the capability to ensure the First Secretary's safety, whether I am there or not. I need to secretly contact our intelligence network in the United States and report back to headquarters for adjustments. We need to verify if our intelligence personnel in the United States are performing their duties properly..."

"The border dispute between China and India is too hasty, which goes against the principle of peaceful coexistence. I need to communicate with the Chinese comrades! After the visit to the United States! Yuri, aren't you planning to return with us?" Khrushchev neither confirmed nor denied, but Shefov's request to stay for two days for work was reasonable.

"From a professional standpoint, I personally would be very willing for China and India to go to war!" Shefov's words shocked Khrushchev and Gromyko. He knew that trying to persuade Khrushchev from the perspective of international communism and peaceful coexistence would be futile, and it would be even less effective with the Chinese leadership. So he directly addressed the issue from the KGB's perspective, coldly and cruelly analyzing, "China has a population of six hundred million, with over ninety-five percent being Han Chinese! The Soviet Union's eastern regions are sparsely populated! From a geopolitical and historical perspective, the current close relationship between the Soviet Union and China has a hidden concern: the territorial issues left over from history..."

"The territorial sovereignty of the Soviet Union is inviolable. Although the Russian Empire has collapsed, this is not a reason for the Soviet Union to cede territory!" Khrushchev decisively concluded, "There is nothing to discuss about this matter..."

"If I had the ability, I would certainly plan a war to divert China's attention to India. India is a large country with the capacity to resist and won't be destroyed!" Shefov speculated, "As long as the hatred between India and China intensifies, we won't have to worry about the potential concerns between China and the Soviet Union..." He had been thinking about this for years. To prevent the Sino-Soviet split, he had to divert China's and the Soviet Union's attention. Ultimately, Shefov focused on India, willing to sacrifice it for the development of the world socialist camp.