Chapter 1094: Investment Environment

The world is truly vast. As has been said before, some things happen at the same time. As a German submarine left the pier, sailing at a slow speed toward the boundless ocean, most people were still lost in their own dreams.

But not everyone was so lucky as to have a beautiful and peaceful dreamland on a quiet night. In a heavily guarded ancient castle, another exquisitely shaped cup was smashed against a wall. It left a stain of red wine on the white wall.

Linus Sebastian had already changed his residence twice, but he still couldn’t find the slightest sense of security. The German intelligence department was investigating him. The German military was investigating him. Even the German industrial committee was investigating him. In these past few days, he had been like a rat crossing the street, at the point where everyone wanted to beat him. And just a few weeks ago, he had even been an honored guest of the German Minister of Industry, Speer.

At that time, he had truly been able to call the wind and the rain, to look down on the world. The industrial department owed him countless sums of money. Speer had even, in a low and humble voice, begged him, for the sake of the people, to delay the collection of the loan interest. He could even casually ask the Führer to personally award him an Imperial Sword and Diamonds Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, a medal that even a Field Marshal did not have, and to become an honored guest of Akado.

Just a dozen or so days ago, he had been fantasizing about monopolizing the Empire’s oil lifeline, about becoming the uncrowned king of this country. Once he had achieved this goal, he could even influence who could be elected Führer, and could influence when this country would end the war. Countless Imperial marshals, generals, and he were friends. He had never even worried that he would be plotted against by others.

But all of this had just happened so suddenly, and the means were so despicable that it was almost outrageous. Even a primary school student wouldn’t use such a shameless method to frame someone. This act of slinging mud, which was a clear attempt to cover something up, was full of holes. But when all the newspapers in the streets and alleys had, at the same time, published the news that he, Linus, was a Soviet spy, only then did he know that as a monopoly financier behind the scenes, his influence over this country was not as great as he had imagined.

Although among the high command, he might be an existence that was not inferior to Akado, to the workers or the ordinary people, he was just an ordinary person. Most people didn’t even know what he did, didn’t know why he would become a spy for the Soviet Union, a country that was on the verge of losing the war.

“’40 newspapers! A full 40 newspapers! I own at least 10% of the shares in these newspapers! And they just published news that was unfavorable to me! Without even giving me a single call!’ Linus roared, sitting on his sofa, his voice shrill and strange from his hysteria. He had been venting his dissatisfaction in this way for the past few days, and his subordinates could only stand by and watch their leader roar.”

As for an explanation, it had already been given. Before these newspapers had published this news, they had already been garrisoned by the SS special operations units. Those SS officers who had received benefits from Linus had all been cleaned up, not a single one had been spared.

If, when dealing with these big tycoons, Heydrich and the other SS high command still had some scruples, then to clean up a few small figures within their own ranks was truly a piece of cake. As for those high-ranking SS officers who had been on familiar terms with Linus, which one of them was not a die-hard loyalist of Akado with a firm political stance? At a time like this, all they had to do was to report the bribes they had received, and Heydrich would just treat it as an advance on their bonuses.

As for the Army Intelligence Department, they had directly detained three generals who were in Berlin and had even made a call to General Kleist’s command post, who had just returned to Denmark. Hearing the intelligence department ask about his relationship with Linus, this commander of the army group that was guarding Norway and Denmark was so scared that he had personally flown back to Berlin to see Akado, without even daring to bring his own sidearm into the city of Berlin.

Linus, in the end, had still underestimated the Führer, had underestimated the Führer’s deep-rooted and immense influence within the German military. Brauchitsch had personally, from the Wolf’s Lair, ordered the arrest of 23 generals from various departments. 544 officers, including 4 full generals, had been isolated for investigation. And all of this had not even caused a single ripple in the massive army.

The Berlin Police Chief, after seeing the newspaper, had shot himself in his office. Two of the five district chiefs had been held down at their desks by their own men, waiting for the SS to arrive. The other three had obediently confessed everything, without even having the courage to put up a fight. When 3,000 SS, carrying their rifles, had marched past Akado’s Führer’s residence, shouting ‘Heil Führer!’, more than 10,000 civilians had joined the procession, shouting ‘Hang Linus!’ After seeing this, the two Imperial directors who had come to plead for Linus didn’t even dare to get out of their car, and just had their drivers turn around and go back.

Let alone a few newspapers. Now those officials who had taken Linus’s benefits were either busy seeking an audience with the Führer to declare their loyal stance, or were busy reflecting on their mistakes with Heydrich and Gascoigne. Who would dare to stand up and say a single word for the ‘framed’ Linus?

And those military bigwigs, who usually held great power and seemed to be so mighty, were now all silent out of fear. These generals, lieutenant generals, corps commanders, and division commanders, at this very moment, were either giving up their command and personally returning to Berlin to seek an audience with Akado, or were gathering around Field Marshal von Brauchitsch, begging this ‘big brother’ to plead their case, for the Führer to show mercy.

What a joke. Who would dare to play any tricks at a time like this? Who would dare to say to his subordinates, “Let’s grab our guns, charge into the Führer’s residence, and arrest the Führer’?” “If someone really said that, it was estimated that his subordinates would indeed draw their guns, but whether they would follow him to the Führer’s residence in the next second, that was hard to say.”

It wasn’t that everyone had this self-awareness. Some people had indeed tried to ‘uphold justice,’ but unfortunately, before they could even make their voices heard, they had already been strung up on the lampposts outside their own homes by the swarms of SS who were ‘exterminating vermin for the people.’ Those capitalists and tycoons were all scared stiff, afraid that this little bit of dissonance in the midst of victory would spread to them.

“Aren’t they… aren’t they afraid that one day they will be framed just like me?” Linus roared through clenched teeth. The reason he was so fearless was because of the inertial thinking of ‘the law does not punish the masses.’ There were too many capitalists in Germany who were profiting from the national crisis, too many conglomerate investors who were sharing in the spoils of war. He was just the biggest of them. No matter what, the Führer of this country would not dare to deal with him so casually.

“How could they not be afraid of being framed?” Krupp sat in Akado’s office, looking at this Führer he had known for almost twenty years with a worried expression. He had not come on his own behalf, but on behalf of the interests of a large group of capitalists and conglomerates behind him.

These people had been terrified by the drastic reaction of the SS and the Army. Some even felt that the Führer was preparing to implement that terrifying theory of eliminating the classes in Germany. Of course, they were also unwilling to hand over the immense wealth they already held in their hands. This was what had led them to have Krupp, who had the best relationship with Akado, come and discuss with the Führer just what the current situation meant.

Capital is compromising and weak. The domineering and arrogant behavior it shows when it is plundering and encroaching is, in fact, just a facade that is covered up by huge profits. The way to make capital retreat is actually very simple, and that is to make the interests and the price equal—as long as the investment does not get a return, no one is willing to take the risk to do this boring thing called ‘investing’.

“Although we have swept the Jewish capital out of the Empire’s market, we are still worried that your actions have exceeded the bounds of ordinary morality.” Krupp’s fingers were intertwined and placed on Akado’s desk. “What we hope to see is an orderly investment environment. This kind of thing, that threatens others’ lives at every turn, makes everyone feel uneasy.”

Akado looked at Krupp, silent. He seemed to want to see something in Krupp’s face. He watched him until Krupp was so uncomfortable that he stopped talking, and he still hadn’t said a word. In fact, from the moment Krupp had walked into the room, he had felt that immense pressure. Ever since Akado had become the unchallengeable Führer of this country, he had known that by this Führer’s side, he would always be just a supporting actor. But when he had, today, on behalf of the capitalists and tycoons, come to talk to Akado about the Linus incident, only then did he truly feel what it was like to be on the opposite side of the Führer.

“Krupp, Krupp… you were probably the first of the businessmen to join the Greater German Party, so I have always regarded you as my partner, my comrade, a comrade-in-arms with a common ideal.” Akado suddenly spoke slowly, his voice soft and unhurried. “You are no longer a businessman, Krupp, even though you yourself still see yourself as one.”

“‘An environment that is not suitable for investment?’ It’s a wonder those idiots behind you could say such an embarrassing thing,” Akado said, not in a hurry. But every word he said made Krupp’s back break out in a cold sweat. It had to be admitted that to argue with the Führer face-to-face was an oppressive affair. This man’s power in Germany was no different from that of an emperor. To make such a comparison was perhaps to think too highly of those European emperors, because none of them had ever been able to surpass Akado in their grip on power. In this respect, perhaps the Führer was more like a Qing dynasty emperor of China, possessing supreme, absolute power.

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