Chapter 1096: A Guarantee

From the fact that Linus had been able to hide for so long from the pursuit of both the SS and Army Intelligence, it was clear that his connections in the German high command were very strong. At the very least, many socialites were willing to hide him and to help mislead the pursuing forces.

From another perspective, his low-key life in normal times also provided some convenience for his hiding. He was rarely photographed, and his face was ordinary enough to be buried in a crowd. This allowed him to walk through the streets without being discovered by the people who were looking for him everywhere.

This castle where Linus was now hiding was the private territory of an old count. This German nobleman had always had a deep friendship with the Linus family, so when Linus had made the request, the master here had, without the slightest hesitation, taken Linus and his entourage in.

“A person as magnanimous and as loyal as you is truly rare. The Germany of today, under the influence of that damned Akado Rudolph, has simply become a country overrun by a group of despicable villains. The German spirit of integrity has been completely forgotten by this group of bastards.” At breakfast, this tycoon, who held countless sums of money, was complaining to the master of the castle who was sheltering him. And this count also, indeed, could not stand Akado’s implementation of some new aristocracy policy in Germany.

While the two of them were denouncing Akado, this German Führer, the Führer’s purge of Linus Sebastian was far more stormy than their denunciation. The SS, with a ferocious air, had sealed up several private banks and had confiscated a large amount of property belonging to the Sebastian family.

Switzerland, the headquarters of a Swiss bank. A group of SS officers, in their German SS uniforms, with the red German national flag on their sleeves, followed behind a man in a suit with their hands behind their backs, and walked into the bank’s business hall. They strode in with neat steps, their chins held high, which made all the businessmen who were in the process of their transactions stop their movements and look in terror at these extreme Greater German-ists.

“My God, are they already this brazen, invading a neutral country like Switzerland?” two Jewish businessmen were in the process of applying for a loan. They had just left Germany with nothing, having exchanged their life’s blood for a temporary Israeli passport.

“If they don’t even spare a neutral country like Switzerland, then they don’t even care about basic international morality. God bless the Germans, they will be spat upon by all the countries in the world,” another Italian businessman said, looking in terror at these arrogant German SS men. He thought of his own hometown, which, a few months ago, had also been visited by such a group of terrifying German soldiers.

Completely ignoring the terrified gazes of the people around them, and under the escort of two squads of German SS, the man in the suit at the head of the group walked to the reception counter with a smile on his face. He smiled as he placed the briefcase he was carrying on the counter.

“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?” a bank manager in a plaid suit quickly stood in front of this German businessman, his face wreathed in smiles as he rubbed his hands and asked.

“Hello, I am the president of the central bank of the Holy Greater German Third Reich, the chief economic advisor to the Imperial economic department, Hjalmar Schacht.” This man, who was in the lead and was wearing a respectable suit, held out his hand and shook hands with the other. He was a man who believed in “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” and had not, in this neutral country of Switzerland, casually used the German salute. That would have made both sides of the conversation very awkward, just as awkward as not using the salute in Germany.

“Good day! I have heard of your deeds! Mr. Schacht, welcome to Switzerland. Please, how can I help you?… I’ll call the director right now. He will personally receive you in the VIP room,” the bank manager said. He was clearly intimidated by the background of this international celebrity. After all, the Führer’s special advisor on Imperial finance, the president of the German national bank, was not someone a small manager like him could handle.

The hall was still bustling with people, but Schacht, this special envoy of the Führer, had already followed the lobby manager into the elevator to the VIP room. And the SS men he had brought with him were standing, as per the rules, in the bank’s lobby, paying no attention to the people who had come to do their business.

“Mr. Schacht, you have come from the Ger… the Reich, this time. I wonder if there is anything you need my help with?” a director of the Swiss bank said, as he personally poured Schacht a cup of coffee. He then spoke slowly, “We have trade relations with almost all the countries in the world, so I think you wouldn’t, just because we are at the same time giving loans to the United States and to Germany, be here to make things difficult for us, would you?”

“No! No, no, no! Mr. Director, the Third Reich is an eternal friend of the Swiss people. We have extensive cooperation in the Greater European Union and in all other fields, and we have a very high degree of consensus,” Schacht said, waving his hand and quickly denying it. “In fact, I am personally very grateful for the 50 billion in low-interest loans you have provided to the Third Reich. It has indeed helped our Empire a great deal.”

Hearing Schacht say this, the director of the Swiss bank closed his mouth and said no more. His face was full of confusion, as if he were asking Schacht: If you are not here to call us to account, then why have you come to Switzerland with so many people?

Schacht took a sip of his coffee, and then continued, explaining the matter that had the other so puzzled. “In fact, I have come to Switzerland this time to ask the Swiss bank to provide a convenience, an opportunity for us to investigate the account of a criminal from our country, and to take away all the assets in it.”

“My God, you know our rules here. It is because of our good reputation that our business has spread throughout all of E…” the director, after hearing this, quickly waved his hand and refused. “To protect the confidentiality of our customers and to maintain the security of their accounts is the foundation of our bank. This is a matter I really cannot help with.”

“Are you willing to take responsibility for your words?” Schacht asked, holding his coffee cup, the smile on his face fading. He was, of course, always amiable when he was with Akado, but this did not mean that he, as the leader of the German financial world, truly had a good temper.

Before the Swiss bank director could say anything, the adjutant in the SS uniform behind Schacht shot a sharp look at this poor director. “Perhaps you have never had any dealings with the ‘European Unification Party’ in Switzerland. But I think you will soon find that they are not so easy to talk to.”

Hearing the name “European Unification Party,” this Swiss bank director swallowed hard. This party, which was flourishing in Switzerland, had always had close ties with the Greater German Party abroad. It could be said that the Third Reich was behind this organization, which was stirring up trouble everywhere. Although the Third Reich still had some scruples about brazenly invading Switzerland, to really pull a stunt like in Austria or Czechoslovakia was not something the Swiss authorities wanted to see.

“Alright! The director is my friend! Don’t speak to my friend in such a malicious tone,” Schacht said, craning his neck and slowly reprimanding the SS officer behind him.

He then turned his head back, with his amiable expression, and reassured the director, who had turned pale. “Please rest assured, I will not let them disturb the normal life of you and your family. If necessary, I can even have them provide you and your family with the necessary protection.”

“Tha… thank you. Thank you very much,” the Swiss bank director, in his nervousness, involuntarily took out the handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead a few times. The war had filled all of Europe with a violent atmosphere. Under this cloud, to smash a car or to burn a house had long since ceased to be news worth paying attention to. It was safe to say that for a paramilitary organization like the European Unification Party, which was like a branch of the SS, to get rid of a few people in Switzerland was not a very difficult matter.

“The person I want to investigate is named Linus Sebastian,” Schacht said, as if he had not given this Swiss director a chance to refuse. He directly stated this name, which was famous in the financial world. “All of his funds here, we must take away.”

“Mr. Linus? He owns about seven percent of our bank’s shares, and his funds here are quite large. This is not something a person of my level can touch,” the director replied, his voice trembling as he answered Schacht’s demand, while wiping his sweat.

“I will be staying in Switzerland for three days. Within three days, I want to get the results I want,” Schacht said, taking an agreement out of his briefcase and handing it to the Swiss bank director in front of him. “You can take this agreement to someone who can make a decision, and then just give me an answer.”

The director looked and saw that it was a contract to dissolve the 50 billion in loans from the Third Reich. He looked up in shock, frowned, and stared at Schacht. In the end, he asked with a puzzled voice, “Forgive my bluntness, but I don’t know what the dissolution of our loan relationship has to do with Linus.”

“That is why you are just a director,” Schacht said, patting the other on the shoulder. He then said, with a chilling air, “What if… I can guarantee that Linus, who holds seven percent of your bank’s stock, and who has a huge amount of assets in your bank, will never come to withdraw this deposit, and will never again exercise his shareholder rights?”

“Sir… sir, Linus is a family. They have many heirs,” the director asked, his face full of shock, his voice trembling.

“I can guarantee that in this world, there will be no more Linus family. Understand?” Schacht said with a smile, walking towards the door. As he walked, he said, “I’ll be staying at the hotel opposite. You are welcome to come and find me at any time.”

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