Chapter 454: The Beginning of Confrontation (Patreon)

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"What are you referring to?"

"This dream."

Merkel glanced around with his eyes. It was a clean and tidy doctor's office. It was evident that it was a doctor's office not only because Schiller was wearing a white coat but also because there were many medical records on Schiller's desk, anatomical charts hanging on the wall, and a treatment bed next to the room.

Everything here was incredibly realistic, just like most doctors' offices Merkel had seen before. The images and text on the anatomical charts were clear, and the reflection of the metal legs of the treatment bed reflected the color of the floor tiles. Every detail here was impeccably real, completely unlike a dream.

Just now, Merkel witnessed the absurd scene in the banquet hall, experiencing the terrifying black tide and dazzling light. Merkel was a staunch materialist, and his common sense told him that such things wouldn't happen in reality. So, there was only one possibility: it was a dream.

The only question was how Schiller managed to create such a realistic yet absurd dream and how he pulled people into it.

Merkel believed that figuring out this question was more important than his original mission because, as far as he knew, humanity's understanding of brain-consciousness dreams was still limited. It would be valuable intelligence.

"Haven't you experienced it already?"

"Are you referring to the bottle of wine?"

Schiller nodded and continued, "Of course, the problem lies here."

He tapped his head with his finger and said to Merkel, "You should understand that consciousness and dreams are products of the human brain. You must have a sufficiently intelligent brain to have the capacity to run a vast and realistic dream."

"...Brain development?" Merkel seemed to have realized something.

"It seems that you are not just a low-level agent providing intelligence to the Soviet Union. You should also understand some intelligence from the Soviet side."

Merkel immediately fell silent, feeling somewhat annoyed. It seemed like he had fallen into Schiller's trap.

Schiller shook his head and said, "You don't have to be nervous. I know better than you the extent to which this research has progressed and what it can achieve in the future."

"To what extent?"

"The extent of no progress."

Merkel moved his lips, seemingly wanting to retort, but he worried that he might reveal more intelligence. So, he said to Schiller, "It seems like you haven't answered my question."

"I did answer. The answer is that bottle of wine combined with my brain. There is nothing else."

"I know you are considering how to take away that bottle of wine or even how to take away my brain..."

"But I advise you not to do so. Either of these two things, if studied separately, could become a disaster."

"We are not afraid of any disaster."

Schiller opened his mouth but found that he couldn't respond to Merkel's answer. So, he could only say, "Now it's my turn to ask the second question. What is your mission objective?"

Merkel frowned, seemingly not expecting Schiller to be so direct. He thought that they would at least have a couple more rounds of probing...

But this actually made him feel somewhat relieved. It seemed that his perception of Schiller's character changing was just his illusion.

"I am tracking down an agent."

"Who is he?""This is our internal matter."

"Why do you want to track him down?"

"Because he has been missing for a long time."

Schiller flipped the pen in his hand and looked at Merkel. "What you said is true, but only part of the truth."

"You want to find the person who may have taken the Philby list, right?"

Merkel's pupils suddenly shrank, and he furrowed his brows, trying to remain calm. He wanted to deny it, but his rationality told him that since Schiller had mentioned the name "Philby list," he must know a lot.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Is that your next question?"

"...Yes."

"Now, my body is in the Metropolis Mayor's mansion. Just now, something unexpected happened here. I won't say more about it, but in short, a group of agents have blocked this place."

"Just now, their leader announced something in the banquet hall. He claimed that among the participants in the banquet, there was a Soviet spy who took the Philby list. Until they find this spy, the agents won't let us leave."

Merkel's face immediately darkened, and he could hardly control his facial expression. His inner anxiety was written all over his face.

"Who is he? Where is he now?"

"I don't know." After Schiller gave his answer, Merkel still stared at him. Schiller tapped the table with the tip of his pen and said, "If even CIA agents are uncertain about something, how could I know?"

"Okay, I'll ask one last question and answer your last doubt, then I'll put your consciousness back into your body."

Schiller looked into Merkel's eyes and asked, "Why is the Philby list so important?"

Merkel pursed his lips, hesitating whether to tell Schiller about it. If he was really an enemy, after understanding the importance of the list, he might help the CIA agent kill the Soviet agent who had the list.

He recalled some details of his interactions with Schiller. He had to acknowledge that Schiller was a very strange person. He was very different from ordinary Americans, even Europeans. He was not a normal person, and his thinking was beyond normal people's understanding.

Facing such a person, it was challenging to judge his ideology, and it was even impossible to judge what he believed in.

In the past, Merkel would have felt that he had not collected enough intelligence, but now, he gave himself a delusion. Perhaps Schiller would not completely lean towards the CIA, and there might still be a chance to persuade him to help.

Finally, he spoke, "Perhaps you should have heard it on the radio. Before Philby left the UK, between 1962 and 1963, he underwent a lot of investigations. It was an extremely dangerous time, and even though Philby held a high position, he had no guarantee of a safe exit."

"Philby was an important member of the UK's MI6, and he was also the head of the Ninth Department responsible for intelligence work against the Soviet Union. I think you should also know what this means."

"The Ninth Department is responsible for intelligence work against the Soviet Union, and their head is one of our people."

"During this period of his career, Philby obtained a lot of intelligence. At the same time, he was also responsible for tracking down Soviet agents and spies hidden in other countries. Using his position, he protected many of our comrades and ensured that their work could proceed smoothly."

"At the same time, he also knew the identities of many agents and spies from other countries hidden in the Soviet Union. If you understand spy work, you should know that sending spies is mutual, and there is no such thing as only the Soviet Union conducting espionage."

"Coming to Philby's position, the information he possessed was terrifying, and the most important information was the identities of Soviet agents and spies from other countries."

"When facing an important investigation, Philby was not sure if he could safely return to the Soviet Union. Even so, he hoped that the information he possessed could be transmitted back to the Soviet Union.""But at that time, he was closely monitored. The people in charge of investigating him wanted to find evidence of his guilt from his behavior. Philby knew that he couldn't directly contact Moscow. He had to take a more subtle approach."

"So, the Philby list was created."

Merkel sighed and placed his hands on the table, then clasped them together. "It recorded all the identities of Soviet agents and spies from other countries that Philby could obtain."

"I think you should know how important this is."

"So, the CIA wants to get their hands on this list because it probably also contains the names of the spies they planted. Although it has been decades, if they can confirm the identities of some people, they can follow the trail."

"All intelligence institutions think this way. They don't want any of their opponents or even teammates to get their hands on this list. It could cause destructive damage to their intelligence networks in certain areas."

"What is the more subtle method you mentioned for transferring this list?"

Since the conversation had reached this point, Merkel didn't need to cover up anymore. He said, "It's the oldest method. Find a trusted person, give it to him, and let him take it back to Moscow."

"But it ultimately failed."

"No, it actually succeeded. Although this plan failed, Philby escaped investigation and successfully returned to Moscow. All the materials were in his head."

"So, the Soviet Union has the information?"

Merkel sighed and said, "That's why other countries want to find this list. Because they are already at a disadvantage. From the time Philby returned to Moscow until his death, Western countries can be said to have repeatedly failed in intelligence work, which was also due to Philby's influence."

"They want to use this list to turn the tables?"

Merkel shook his head and said, "Actually, no. They just need something to show for their work."

He raised his hand and gestured, "The materials in Philby's head and the contents recorded on the Philby list should be very similar."

"As long as they can get their hands on the Philby list and prove that the information on it is very detailed and can cause significant damage, they can blame the failures of their intelligence work over the years on Philby and those who failed to prosecute him."

Schiller immediately understood what Merkel meant. These people were so desperate to find this list just to prove that their opponents were too strong, not that they were too weak.

As long as they found this list and the detailed spy information recorded on it, they could say that they were playing with open cards and couldn't possibly win against their opponents. This way, the failures of their intelligence work over the years could be wiped out in one stroke.

"But why now?" Schiller asked.

Merkel shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. But Schiller could understand. Did the CIA need to shift the blame? Did they need to choose the right time? Or was shifting the blame their main business?

"Okay, you can ask me one last question, and then this dream will end."

Merkel remained silent for a while. Just as Schiller was about to remind him, he looked into Schiller's eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Have you read the Communist Manifesto?"

Schiller remained silent for a long time. Then he stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the void outside. He whispered, "Do you know? A CIA agent is outside my door. I just need to wake up immediately and tell him that you asked me this question, and he won't survive this winter."

"I know..."

Schiller turned around and saw a light in Merkel's eyes that was brighter than the sun that had just descended on the top of the high tower.

"But I don't care."

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