Chapter 746: Gunsmoke Behind the Gunsmoke

In a small airfield on the outskirts of Rotterdam, Netherlands, three Odin helicopters slowly landed. The whirlwind kicked up by the massive rotating propellers sent the surrounding withered yellow grass and a bit of white snow flying. The winter here, though not as cold as on the Eastern Front, could certainly not be called warm.

A German SS officer jumped down from a helicopter. His black uniform was exceptionally crisp, and the buckles on his belt were high-quality silver, making him look a class above the average SS member. The officer stood by the plane until a man in a black suit had jumped down, then followed him away from the vortex created by the helicopter.

“Heil Führer! It is a great honor to meet you,” a man in a brown checkered suit and a fedora, who had been waiting at the edge of the airfield’s tarmac, said, respectfully doffing his hat as he saw the man in the black suit.

The man in the black suit was somewhat tall and thin. His suit was clearly handmade, very well-fitting and sharp. On his wrist, he wore a Patek Philippe watch. Ever since this watch had become a special custom model for the Führer, it had no longer been in production. There was a faintly visible swastika national emblem on the watch face, just a polished reflective surface, with no precious materials used—of course, no one in all of Europe would dare to ask the price of this watch.

The strategic showdown on the Eastern Front was in full swing, yet Akado had come to the Netherlands alone. Even his inseparable Anna was not by his side, just because he had promised Dönitz he would personally attend a submariner’s funeral.

Akado, who valued efficiency, had not simply wasted this trip. He had concealed his itinerary, leaving Anna behind to confuse some people with ulterior motives, and had gone to the Netherlands one step ahead. He wanted to go to the “A-class” occupied territories, which were to become German territory in the future, to see for himself just how badly his policies were being implemented.

And so, the Führer’s plane had first flown to Berlin. Then, Anna, along with Akado’s double and a miscellaneous retinue, had rested for a day before taking a grand train to Rotterdam. He himself, with his personal guards, had taken a helicopter to this field airfield one step ahead.

“Frank, I’m very glad you could come to pick me up. I think I can rest assured if you arrange this trip,” Akado said with a smile, extending his hand to shake hands with Frank Alston, who was dressed in a suit. In order not to have his own subordinates deceive his eyes, Akado had arranged for a businessman like Frank Alston to arrange his itinerary.

The reason he was so at ease was because the interests of a businessman like Frank Alston were already firmly linked with his own. Everything he had could be said to have been given by Akado, so it was impossible for anything to go wrong. Moreover, Akado’s security level had not been lowered in the slightest. He was still surrounded by the fanatical followers of the SS’s 0th Division.

Frank Alston had truly been on a roll recently. From being an unknown owner of a small aircraft production factory that even Krupp had never heard of, he had become the largest supplier of helicopters to the German military in just a few short months. The Odin helicopters he produced were in short supply, and four production lines were being expanded. He could even speak directly to the Führer—this could be said to be a classic example of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

However, he was still very low-key and did not often attend those boring banquets. This aircraft production businessman, with the blood of a traditional German flowing in his veins, was fanatically in love with the systems engineering of mechanical design. He had organized a large number of aircraft designers to specialize in designing all sorts of strange and wonderful flying machines. As a representative figure who promoted product competitiveness with advanced technology, he was keen on designing simpler and more practical helicopters.

But to think of such a person as a saint would be a great mistake. If one still remembers that he was the first to propose the plan of using prisoners of war to blackmail a British aircraft designer, one would know that this person was not just a businessman; he was also a very shrewd conspirator. In Poland, he owned the industry of four concentration camps, which provided all kinds of simple parts for his aircraft day and night. At least in this respect, he was no different from the other German capitalists; they all made profits through cruel exploitation.

“I have prepared the materials you requested, my Führer,” Frank Alston said fawningly as he walked to the side of the car. His tone was very humble. After all, the tall, thin man standing in front of him was of a transcendent status. In front of Akado, Frank was truly good-tempered; even the sound of his voice was sunny. “Since July, 24 companies have canceled workers’ holidays and disbanded the workers’ rights unions. These have all been done in private. They are relying on their own background to do whatever they want in the Netherlands and Belgium, violating the ‘Third Reich Worker Protection Law’ that you promulgated.”

“These companies don’t include yours, do they?” Akado asked, his hand on the car door, looking at Frank Alston with a raised eyebrow and a smile at the corner of his mouth. The black paint on the car door was exceptionally smooth, reflecting Akado’s body and face like a mirror. A signature luxury car from the Mercedes-Benz company was not something that just anyone with money could own—you had to be very rich.

Frank Alston quickly waved his hand. “My Führer, how could that be? I swear in the name of God, I, Frank, have never violated the laws of the Empire and exploited the workers.” For a businessman, if there was a threefold profit, he would dare to deceive God. If the profit exceeded fivefold, it was enough for them to stand by the devil’s side. So when Frank raised his hand to swear, Akado gave a cold laugh and got into the car.

Handing the documents in his hand to the SS officer standing by the car window, Akado gave his order, “You find a trustworthy officer and verify this for me. Don’t alarm these people. Bring the verified information back to me. Understood?”

“Yes! My Führer,” the officer said, turning and taking two steps back. The car in which Akado was sitting slowly started to move. A full 10 cars, in a grand procession, drove out of the airport gate and into a beautiful forest, onto a straight, tree-lined avenue.

Just like every emperor in history, the more of a dictator one is, the more one has to face a fatal problem, and that is the final execution of one’s own orders. To put it bluntly, it is the phenomenon of feigning compliance. This problem concerns whether an empire as a whole is moving forward or backward, and also whether this emperor is a great strongman or a fatuous idiot.

Emperors, or rather, dictators, have tried every means to supervise the execution of their orders, such as establishing secret service agencies, creating perfect supervision mechanisms, and so on. But history has proven that even the most perfect system has its limitations, and even the best of intentions cannot withstand the distortion and trampling of a group of scoundrels.

So, how to make one’s own eyes see more clearly has become a common research goal for all those in high positions. No one is willing to be deceived by others, especially smart people or those who consider themselves smart. Fortunately, Akado was reborn in a country that attached more importance to systems, a country that also had a relatively rigid and conservative people. If he had been reborn in a country that had been ruled by men for a thousand years, then all he could do now would be to engage in endless internal struggles.

But even in such a country with relatively perfect regulations and a people who were relatively law-abiding, Akado had also discovered that there were still people who were trying their best to undermine the empire, trying their best to find loopholes in the law. So he planned to see for himself, to see clearly with his own eyes the things he could only see in reports before, to see if anyone was really feigning compliance, to see if anyone really dared to defy him, the great Führer of the empire.

“This is my second time in Rotterdam. The last time I came, I was here as the victor who had just occupied this place. At that time, the smoke of gunpowder had not yet dissipated, and black smoke was still rising everywhere,” Akado said in the swaying car to Frank Alston, who was sitting beside him. “My army can eliminate any enemy that defies my will, but it cannot get rid of those damn parasites within the empire. I want this empire to be strong and prosperous, but these parasites are stabbing it in the back!”

“Not everyone is as far-sighted as you, my Führer,” Frank Alston promptly followed up with a piece of flattery, and then continued, “Many people have wealth that is not commensurate with their intelligence. Their heads are filled with whiskey, so they don’t have the function of thinking.”

“You are a new type of commercial pilot project that I have personally supported. Do not be greedy for immediate gains and disappoint me! Understand?” Akado said, looking out the window. He suddenly spoke, “Put away all those tricks that skirt the edges of the system. I guarantee you will only have more money… But if you continue to do so, I will find someone more worthy of investment. You know what that means.”

Frank Alston’s heart skipped a beat, and he became even more humble. He had already weighed the pros and cons in his heart. The first thing he would do when he got back was to change the factory system in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France to be more in line with the laws of the Empire. Thinking of this, he continued, “My Führer, I understand what to do.”

“When I came last time, this place was full of smoke and gunpowder. At that time, I saw hatred and despair,” Akado nodded. He no longer paid any attention to the terrified Frank Alston, but seemed to be talking to himself. “When I came this time, this place was still full of smoke and gunpowder, but the flames of hatred were suppressed behind a calm facade. I hope that the next time I come, this place will have changed a little, changed a little.”

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