Chapter 349 - 132: The Shadow of Chernobyl

Chapter 349: Chapter 132: The Shadow of Chernobyl

"Mr. Nagi," Werner said slowly, "if you’re asking me how long East Germany can last, I can only say that it depends on Moscow. If Gorbachev continues his reforms, if the Soviet Union truly loosens its grip on Eastern Europe, then a rigid regime like East Germany won’t hold out for long."

"Are you sure?"

"I never say anything I’m not sure of." Werner stared at him. "That’s why I suggest you accumulate as much foreign currency as possible over the next few years and prepare an exit strategy for yourself. If the political climate in Eastern Europe really does change, only those with money in hand will be able to live well."

Nagi was silent for a long time before finally nodding. "I understand. Mr. Betelich, I believe our cooperation will be a long one."

"I think so too."

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

On his last night before leaving Budapest, Werner was staying in a hotel on the banks of the Danube River.

He stood on the balcony, looking at the night view of the opposite bank.

The nights in Budapest were more lively than in East Berlin. The lights were dazzling, and music and laughter drifted from a distance.

’This is the taste of reform,’ Werner thought. ’Hungary is already loosening up, Poland is stirring restlessly, and even the Czech Republic is hearing calls for reform. Only East Germany is still clinging stubbornly to its rigid dogma.’

But for him, this was actually an opportunity.

Werner mentally went over his next plans.

Through his channels in Hungary, he could import consumer goods into East Germany in bulk and profit from the price difference.

More importantly, this channel could be used for money laundering, transferring his funds from East Germany to the West.

Nagi was greedy, but he was also smart. He knew the rules and the importance of discretion. People like him were the best to work with.

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

In the following months, Werner’s business expanded rapidly.

Through the channels Nagi had established in Hungary, Werner imported large quantities of consumer goods into East Germany.

Televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, textiles, and daily necessities were shipped continuously from Budapest to East Berlin.

These goods were in extremely high demand in East Germany.

The consumer goods market in East Germany had long suffered from shortages. People would queue for hours and still couldn’t buy a television. Now, as soon as Werner’s goods arrived, they were immediately snapped up.

Moreover, they were twenty percent cheaper than domestic products and of better quality.

Werner used Koko’s official channels to distribute these goods to state-owned stores across the country.

On the surface, it looked like normal trade, with Koko importing from Hungary. But in reality, every transaction involved a huge price difference, which was secretly split between Werner and Nagi.

More importantly, this channel became his main conduit for money laundering.

He transferred the money he earned in East Germany to a shell company in Austria through inflated import prices, and from there, into an account in Switzerland.

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

In November, Werner made another trip to Poland.

The situation in Poland was more complex than in Hungary.

After the Solidarity Union was suppressed in 1981, Poland fell into an economic crisis and a political stalemate.

But Werner knew that Poland would eventually change, and the change would be even more thorough.

In Warsaw, he met with several underground businessmen. These men had made their fortunes through smuggling and the Black Market during martial law and now controlled most of Poland’s underground economy.

"Mr. Betelich, I hear you’ve been doing quite well in Budapest," said one of the businessmen, a man named Janusz. "Are you planning to do the same thing here in Poland?"

"More or less," Werner said. "I need a stable supply of goods, and you need foreign currency. We can help each other."

"Poland’s regulations are very strict right now." Janusz shook his head. "It’s not as relaxed as Hungary."

"That’s why I don’t plan on going through official channels." Werner lowered his voice. "We’ll use underground channels, deal directly, and settle in cash."

Janusz’s eyes lit up. "You mean..."

"The Black Market," Werner said. "I know you have ways to get goods out of Poland, and I have ways to get them into East Germany. We each get what we need."

Janusz thought for a moment, then nodded. "Deal. But we only accept US Dollars, not East German Marks."

"No problem."

The two shook hands, sealing the deal.

As he left Warsaw, Werner stood at the airport, gazing at the gray, overcast sky.

Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic—all of Eastern Europe was loosening up. Only East Germany was still putting up a desperate resistance.

But that resistance was doomed to fail.

Werner boarded the plane, his mind already calculating the next step of his plan.

He wanted to build a vast network in Eastern Europe, covering Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and even Yugoslavia.

The plane took off, broke through the clouds, and headed toward East Berlin.

Outside the window, the sun was setting.

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

「April 20, 1986. East Berlin.」

Werner sat in his office, staring blankly at the calendar.

’Late April.’

He repeated the date to himself as a vague memory surfaced in his mind.

’Chernobyl. April 26, 1986.’

So many years had passed since he’d crossed over. Many memories of his past life had faded, but he always remembered certain major historical events.

The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was one of the worst nuclear accidents of the 20th century. The radioactive cloud drifted across all of Europe, including East Germany.

More importantly, he remembered that the Soviet Government had concealed the truth of the accident, only admitting to it after Sweden detected the radiation.

The East German Government would also follow suit and cover it up, issuing no warnings to the public and letting people be exposed to the radiation.

Werner suddenly stood up and walked to the window.

Outside was the gray, gloomy East Berlin. People on the streets hurried along, none of them aware that a disaster was about to strike.

But he couldn’t act too conspicuously.

If he purchased large quantities of protective equipment in advance—especially iodine tablets, which were useless in peacetime and only needed during a nuclear war or accident—the Stasi would definitely start watching him.

He needed a more covert method.

"Keller." Werner picked up the phone.

"Boss?"

"Contact Reynard and have him place an order in West Germany." Werner’s tone was calm. "An update to our labor protection supplies: protective masks, gloves, work clothes, and some medical supplies. Just say they’re for a few factories in Leipzig."

"Labor protection supplies?" Keller was taken aback for a second. "Which factory?"

"Just pick a few. I’ll give you a list later," Werner said. "There’s no rush to ship the goods. Just place the order and store them in a warehouse in West Germany."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Werner dialed Margaret’s number.

"Werner?"

"Margaret, I need you to do something for me." Werner lowered his voice. "Purchase a batch of items in West Germany: protective masks, protective suits, Geiger counters, and iodine tablets."

"Iodine tablets?" Margaret’s voice suddenly turned wary. "Werner, those are for radiation protection. What do you need them for?"

"Don’t ask too many questions," Werner said. "After you buy them, store them in your warehouse over there. Don’t ship them to East Germany. Wait for my signal."

Margaret was silent for a few seconds. "What do you know?"

"I’m just making preparations," Werner said. "Trust me, these goods will be very useful."

"Alright," Margaret said. "But iodine tablets aren’t easy to buy. It’ll take time for a large quantity."

"Buy as many as you can. Money is no object," Werner said. "Remember, store them in West Germany first. Don’t ship them over."

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

For the next few days, Werner appeared to go about his work as usual, but in reality, he was constantly monitoring the news from Moscow.

April 26th, a Saturday.

Werner stayed in his office all day, waiting for the event he knew was bound to happen.

At 1:23 AM, reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine exploded.

But the people of East Berlin knew nothing about it.

They woke up and spent their weekend as usual.

There was not a single word about it in the East German news.

Werner also pretended to know nothing and continued to wait.

April 27th, Sunday.

The Soviet Government remained silent, but hospitals in Moscow began admitting large numbers of patients with radiation sickness.

The news spread internally, but it wasn’t made public.

April 28th, Monday.

Sweden’s Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant detected abnormal radiation levels.

The Swedish government launched an emergency investigation, evacuated the power plant staff, and finally confirmed that the radiation was coming from an external source.

In the afternoon, Sweden questioned the Soviet Union.

That evening, Moscow finally admitted that an "accident" had occurred at Chernobyl but did its best to downplay its severity.

The news began to spread through the Western media.

And on that day, Werner made his move.