Chapter 308 - 91: Investigated by the Stasi

Chapter 308: Chapter 91: Investigated by the Stasi

Werner slowly stood up, and all eyes in the room focused on him.

He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and then said calmly, "In mid-September, on behalf of Koko, I signed a forward contract in London for one million barrels of crude oil. The price was locked in at three US Dollars per barrel."

The conference room fell deathly silent.

Then, an official shot to his feet. "What did you say? One million barrels?"

"Yes." Werner flicked the ash from his cigarette. "The market price has already risen to six US Dollars, and it’s still climbing."

"This..." The official sat back down in his chair, seemingly unable to process what he’d just heard.

Another official asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Comrade Werner, you... you signed the contract in September? There was no war back then, and the oil price was still stable. How did you..."

"How did I know it would rise?" Werner finished his sentence and smiled. "I didn’t."

"Then why did you sign the contract?"

Werner glanced at Gunter, then said, "Because I felt we should prepare in advance."

"Prepare in advance?" The official frowned. "Just based on a feeling?"

"Not a feeling." Werner shook his head. "Analysis."

He walked over to a map and pointed to the Middle East. "In the first half of this year, Egypt and Syria conducted multiple large-scale military exercises. In June, Sadat visited Moscow to request more weapons from the Soviet Union. In July, Syria shut down its oil pipeline for ’maintenance,’ but the maintenance period was abnormally long. In August, border conflicts between Israel and Lebanon intensified."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Viewed in isolation, none of these events seem significant. But when you put them together, a trend emerges—the Middle East was preparing for war. And once war breaks out in the Middle East, the oil supply is bound to be affected."

"But..." an official said, "Comrade Werner, we were all aware of this information too. No one could say for sure when a war would break out."

"You’re right, no one could say for sure," Werner admitted. "That’s why when I reported to Comrade Gunter, I didn’t say a war was certain. I simply suggested that since the risk was increasing, it would be wise to lock in a portion of our supply in advance. After all, the oil price wasn’t high at the time."

Gunter picked up the thread. "Werner’s proposal made sense when I reviewed it. Even if there was no war, we wouldn’t lose much by stocking up in advance. But if something did happen, we would have a guaranteed supply. So, I approved it."

He looked at the officials present, his tone growing serious. "Comrades, this is the difference in our work methods. A moment ago, you were all talking about how severe the problem is, but has anyone considered why Werner was able to foresee the risk in advance, while you couldn’t?"

The conference room was silent.

"It’s not because Werner has some special channel," Gunter continued. "It’s because he’s more diligent than you. He pays attention to the international situation every single day, analyzing all sorts of information and thinking about potential risks. And you? Many of you just wait for instructions from your superiors, wait for a problem to arise before you try to solve it."

An official said in a low voice, "But Comrade Gunter, Comrade Werner’s timing... it was just too perfect, wasn’t it? He signed the contract a month in advance, and then the war broke out. This..."

"I analyzed the risk, made preparations, and then luck was on our side. That’s all," Werner cut him off, his tone flat.

He looked at the official and added, "If the war hadn’t broken out, this oil contract would have, at worst, caused Koko to make a little less money. But now that the war has started, this contract has become our greatest asset. Comrade, that is the meaning of risk management—a loss won’t break your bones, but a win can change the entire game."

The official fell silent.

Gunter walked back to the head of the table and sat down, a satisfied smile on his face. "Werner, what’s the oil price now?"

"The latest quote is six US Dollars, and it’s still rising," Werner said. "I predict it will go above ten US Dollars."

"So when are you planning to make your move?"

"Let’s wait a little longer," Werner said. "I suggest we split this oil shipment into two parts. Half will supply our domestic needs, guaranteeing our own demand. The other half, once the price is right, we’ll resell to West Germany. They’re desperate for oil right now and will be willing to pay a high price."

Gunter nodded. "Excellent. Werner, you will have full authority over this matter. Make your move whenever you think the time is right."

After the meeting, a few officials crowded around Werner, bombarding him with questions.

"Comrade Werner, what materials do you usually read? Could you recommend a few?"

"How do you analyze all this information? Are there any special techniques?"

"If another opportunity like this comes up, could you give us a heads-up?"

Werner smiled and fielded their questions, but he didn’t give away anything of substance.

************

On the afternoon of November 7th, Werner was in his office handling some documents when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Three uniformed Stasi officers walked in. The one in the lead was a lieutenant in his thirties with a completely blank expression.

"Comrade Werner Betelich?" the lieutenant asked.

Werner looked up. ’His heart tightened,’ but he remained outwardly calm. "That’s me."

"Please come with us," the lieutenant said. "A superior wants to speak with you."

"About what?"

"You’ll find out when we get there."

Werner looked them over, slowly stood up, and picked up his coat. "Can I make a phone call?"

"No," the lieutenant said. "If you please."

As he walked out of the Koko Building, a black Volga sedan was parked outside.

Werner was escorted into the car and seated in the back. The two other officers sat on either side of him, while the lieutenant took the front passenger seat.

The car slowly pulled away. Werner watched the streetscape outside, his mind racing.

’He knew this had to be about the oil crisis. Beck had finally made his move.’

Twenty minutes later, the car drove into the courtyard of the Stasi Headquarters.

Werner was led out of the car, through several security checkpoints, and finally into an interrogation room.

The interrogation room was small, containing only a table and a few chairs.

The walls were gray, and an incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling cast a harsh, glaring light. There were no windows, and the air was stuffy.

"Sit." The lieutenant pointed to the chair across the table.

Werner sat down and lit a cigarette.

"No smoking," the lieutenant said.

Werner gave him a look, then slowly stubbed out the cigarette.

After more than ten minutes, the door opened. General Baker walked in, followed by Von Brown.

After entering, Von Brown found a chair, sat down off to the side, and crossed his legs. He unhurriedly took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and then leaned back in his chair as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Beck sat down opposite Werner and stared at him for a few seconds before speaking, his voice low. "Comrade Werner Betelich, do you know why we brought you here?"

"No," Werner said. "I thought you wanted to discuss work."

"Work?" Beck sneered. "Your ’work’ has been outstanding indeed. You signed an oil contract in September, the price of oil skyrocketed in October, you made tens of millions of West German Marks for Koko, and you personally earned quite a bit as well. This kind of ’work’ is of great interest to us at the Stasi."