Chapter 065: These Damn Ties That Bind

Chen Jiehua didn’t want to disturb him. Now that he’d tossed off the hot potato, there was no need to dwell on it. He felt a weight lifted, and after Fujiwara Mio finished her breakfast, the two of them prepared to head to the train station as planned, to take the train to Moscow.

The remaining portion was left for Sorge.

Perhaps the telegram was quite lengthy this time. Without waiting for Ramsey to come downstairs, the two rolled their suitcases out, locked the door, and made their way to the station.

Once Ramsey Sorge had finished sending and receiving his telegrams, he packed up immediately and set off, also rushing to catch the train to Moscow.

It was clear how agitated Berzin, head of the Fourth Directorate (GRU) of the Soviet Red Army Command, became upon receiving this telegram. He ordered Sorge to return to Moscow at all costs and with maximum haste!

Berzin even sent messages to all Fourth Directorate members along the railway, instructing them to converge on the tracks and board the train at the nearest stations to ensure Ramsey’s safety.

At Berlin Station, the train for Moscow arrived. Chen Jiehua and Fujiwara Mio boarded Carriage 2 together. Just before departure, Ramsey hurriedly boarded Carriage 4, dragging his suitcase behind him.

The train quickly crossed from the Weimar Republic into the territory of the Second Polish Republic. The journey was long. Chen Jiehua rested his head on Mio’s shoulder, eyes closed, while Fujiwara Mio gazed idly at the passing scenery outside.

Suddenly, Mio spotted two riders in the distance approaching the train. They threw lassos to hook onto it—were they attempting to board the train?

She gently shook Chen Jiehua awake, signaling him to look outside. “Where are we?” Chen Jiehua saw the two had already climbed onto the train, while their riderless horses trailed behind until they disappeared from view.

“We just crossed the border not long ago,” Mio replied.

“Poland? Judging by their skills, these are no ordinary men!”

No one knew why Berzin, the GRU chief, sent a second telegram. Perhaps he himself would never realize the impact this message would have on the entire European espionage network.

The telegram was sent to the Red Russian Comintern’s secret agencies in Berlin and Warsaw. However, the Red Russian cipher was so basic that, for contemporary Europe, Berzin’s message was as clear as if it had been sent uncoded.

All of Europe’s spy networks ignited with activity!

“At all costs, protect Ramsey’s return!”

What on earth would require an entire line of agents to “at all costs” protect a single operative’s “return”?

Reviewing previous information, it was clear: Ramsey had been sent to San Francisco in America and to Leverkusen in the Weimar Republic to obtain the miracle drug formula.

This was as good as announcing outright that Ramsey had succeeded! Now every resource was to be mobilized to protect his return, at any cost!

All the agents of every nation scratched their heads. Both of those locations had been so tightly guarded that they’d been helpless. Now they were told Ramsey had succeeded. Wouldn’t it be far easier to “rob” Ramsey than to “steal” from those two places?

Then what were they waiting for!

From Berlin to Warsaw, from Warsaw to Moscow, the air above the tracks seemed to buzz and crackle with activity. Telegrams flew so fast, the lines nearly tangled.

The two who had just boarded were only the beginning—no one even knew which service they belonged to.

But Chen Jiehua had no idea about any of this. He only sensed, from instinct, that something was off about these two men, and about this train. Yet he’d received no warning. Could it be that they weren’t after him? Was there someone even more important on board?

Colonel Tadeusz Pećinski, then head of the Second Bureau of the General Staff of the Second Polish Republic, was among the first to obtain a decrypted version of the telegram.

Fifteen minutes later, “Operation Pluck the Passing Goose” was launched and orders issued at once!

A large contingent of Second Bureau agents had already gathered at the Warsaw station. Another group raced toward the Polish-Soviet border, ready to plant explosives on the tracks fifty kilometers from the frontier. If the on-board assault failed, they would blow up the train to prevent its entry into Soviet territory!

Their objective was clear: seize first! If they couldn’t seize, block! If they managed to block, try seizing again! Not even a single feather would be allowed to escape!

Almost simultaneously, the Weimar Republic’s Abwehr codebreaking unit placed the decrypted telegram on Director Arthur Neumann’s desk.

“Even with the tightest defenses, the Soviets got their hands on it? Could it be the penicillin formula from America?”

Regardless of which formula it was, it had to be intercepted! Arthur Neumann immediately mobilized all available Abwehr military police to Berlin Station, but they arrived too late and gave chase by car.

All personnel in Poland were ordered to get to the railway and find a way to board the train.

Meanwhile, British, Japanese, Italian, and any other agents who thought they might have a shot were notified to try their luck—either in Warsaw or somewhere along the railway, hopping aboard if they could.

The enemy’s unusual activity made the Red Russian agents waiting near Warsaw increasingly anxious. The more “colleagues” appeared, the more uneasy they felt.

Their leader gave a subtle sign, and the lower-ranking radio operator quietly slipped away to send a telegram back.

At this point, even if the Second Bureau agents noticed, they had no time to care—let the small fry do as they pleased; they had bigger fish to fry.

It was only when Comrade Berzin received this telegram from the Warsaw secret base that he realized how his excitement had led to a grave mistake!

No wonder he’d been uneasy ever since sending the original message—the error lay here. What to do? He had to salvage the situation!

Berzin immediately dispatched every available asset along the railway to race to the border. But by now, it was impossible to warn Ramsey.

Around this train, a grand contest among international agents was about to unfold.

Onboard, once Chen Jiehua had been awakened, he found he couldn’t fall asleep again. People kept hopping on the train throughout the journey—like a parade of immortals, each displaying their own unique skills.

Something felt more and more off. Even if they were filming a “Railroad Guerrilla” movie, the extras wouldn’t be hopping trains this often!

Chen Jiehua signaled to Fujiwara Mio to stay alert. He said he was going to the restroom at the front, but really he wanted to take a look ahead and see what was going on.

As soon as he stood up and before taking a step, he noticed something unusual. In the third carriage, two men were walking toward him, pretending to be casual but scanning the area with darting eyes. Such clumsy spy behavior couldn’t fool Chen Jiehua.

Were they searching for someone? Or for something?

Well, if they could search, so could he! Chen Jiehua walked slowly, and when the restroom between the second and third carriages was occupied, he took the opportunity to observe his own carriage. Muttering to himself, he made his way into the third carriage, passing the two men—both parties stepping aside to let the other by.

He saw they were armed.

He continued forward to the restroom between the third and fourth carriages. Before entering, he glanced at the fourth carriage out of the corner of his eye.

Damn! What a tangled web of fate!