Gravedigger of the Empire

"Leave it to me." Kahn patted Joe's arm, then walked over to Maddie and familiarly pulled him to a corner.

"Captain Maddie..." he said confidently, throwing out the bait: "I can find a bottle of Latour 1900..."

"Do you know how much this bottle of wine you're talking about is worth?" Maddie asked instinctively, startled.

"You can't find it no matter how much money you offer," Kahn said. "But we're friends, right? So I'm going to give you this precious bottle of 1900."

"Really?" Maddie couldn't even muster the slightest thought of refusing.

"Why would I lie to you?" Kahn retorted.

Maddie nodded: "I understand... Joe and I can handle today's matters."

Kahn turned around and shrugged at Joe. Joe nodded, understanding.

He knew that Kahn was a wealthy young man, and money could always solve some minor problems.

Soon, Maddie found several boxes of ammunition for Kahn. Of course, these items were still on the destruction list and would "completely disappear" in a few days.

On the way back, the atmosphere in the car became much more lively. The driver was surprised that the three people who had been silent on the way there had become close friends who could talk about anything on the way back.

"You're really lucky, the amount in the warehouse is just right." Joe's hand rested on the banknotes in his pocket, his face full of smiles.

"Yes, we checked four warehouses, and only the one you were in charge of had this coincidence," Madi added.

Kahn sneered inwardly... The quantity was exactly right, without any surprises.

As they were nearing the Military Administration headquarters, Kahn requested to get off: "I need to buy something, so I'll get off here."

"It's okay, we can wait for you and then take you to the Administration Bureau," Joe said warmly.

Having just received two hundred pounds, it's hard for him not to be enthusiastic.

"No need, I'm just taking a walk." Kahn declined Joe's offer and got out of the car.

Then he waved out the car window and watched the car turn at the intersection and eventually disappear around the corner.

He turned around and walked into a bakery, carrying his heavy briefcase.

"Ding-dong..." The doorbell rang, making a clear sound and reminding the shopkeeper that a customer had arrived.

The fat, big-eared pastry chef in the shop saw Kahn's attire, but continued to busy himself with his work, seemingly not intending to pay any attention to this poor, lowly army lieutenant.

These days, soldiers are poor, and since they receive rations, they basically don't spend money to buy anything.

"Two jars of jam, four whole wheat loaves of bread, and do you have butter?" Kahn asked as he walked up to the counter.

This bakery must have been around for a while; the decor was old-fashioned, but the aroma inside still made Kahn take a deep breath.

The other party was clearly surprised that Kahn would want so many things. He looked up and sized up the young man in military uniform: "These things are not cheap. We don't accept marks here."

"I'll pay in pounds." Kahn took a one-pound note out of his pocket and pressed it on the counter.

Upon seeing this, the shop owner immediately changed his attitude: "Yes, my strawberry jam and apple jam are the best in all of Berlin."

As he spoke, he took two glass jars from the shelf behind him, which contained brightly colored jam.

Then he took two loaves of bread from the counter and put them in a paper bag.

Finally, he took out a beautifully packaged piece of butter and placed it together with the bread jam: "These are all absolutely good stuff."

Kahn released his grip on the pounds, picked up the paper bag, and turned to leave. The pastry chef quickly went around the counter and rushed to open the door for Kahn: "Welcome back next time."

Carrying the food, Kahn returned to the Military Administration building, where several beggars were still sitting at the entrance, including the old soldier he had given alms to yesterday.

This time, without his hands reaching into his pockets, Kahn walked straight into the building.

After returning to his office, he placed his briefcase on the filing cabinet and then divided the food from the paper bag into two portions.

He kept a jar of jam and a loaf of bread for himself, put the rest back in the paper bag, and then carried the food to Lieutenant Colonel McCann's office.

"Knock knock." He knocked gently on the door.

"Come in!" came Lieutenant Colonel McConnell's voice from inside the room.

Kahn opened the door and greeted him politely, "Lieutenant Colonel... the inventory of the warehouse is complete, there are no problems."

Miken stopped what he was doing and glanced at Kahn: "What a coincidence! The accounts in the warehouse can't possibly match up."

"That's good... Have you made any progress on the missing munitions?" Lieutenant Colonel McConnell put down his work and asked routinely.

"Several personnel are missing, and a key figure has been confirmed dead. It's quite troublesome," Kahn reported, placing his belongings on Lieutenant Colonel McConnell's desk.

"Hmm?" Lieutenant Colonel McConnell looked at the paper bag and asked through his nose.

"I haven't thanked the lieutenant colonel for his help yet. I've inquired and I think you might need these..." Kahn pushed the paper bag and then took a step back.

Lieutenant Colonel McConnell snorted; he had no liking for such sycophantic young men.

"Don't dwell on these trivial matters." Lieutenant Colonel Miken scolded Kahn while reaching for the bag.

He planned to throw the stuff back at Kahn and then tell the arrogant guy to get out.

As a result, his movements stopped the moment his hand grasped the bag.

His daughter was clamoring for apple jam this morning, his wife was complaining about the butter she couldn't find for so long, and there was a delicious-looking loaf of bread that smelled wonderful...

"These things aren't cheap." Lieutenant Colonel McConnell looked up at Kahn and released his grip on the paper bag.

"Compared to your kindness in promoting me, it's nothing at all." Kahn knew he had passed Lieutenant Colonel McConnell's test.

"Doing the job I assigned you well is more important than anything else." Miken's tone remained icy: "Go back to work."

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!" Kahn stood at attention, saluted, and turned to leave. The paper bag and its contents were left in Miken's office.

Back in his office, Kahn sorted out his thoughts: he had reconnected with some acquaintances from his previous life, putting his military career back on track.

Then, he will use the remaining hidden assets that no one knows about to build up his own power.

It seems I need to find a helper as soon as possible... He can't handle many things on his own.

If he does everything himself, like buying bread for his boss or running errands to pick up things, he won't get many things done in a day.

Moreover, he needs someone he can trust to solve some problems that he is not comfortable doing himself.

"Honey, what's this?" Mrs. Macken took the paper bag from her husband's hand as she saw him come home.

"Daddy, where's the apple jam? You promised me!" The daughter's voice came from another room.

It's always like this at home, noisy and disruptive, which can be a bit irritating.

The exhaustion from a long day's work felt like a mountain pressing down on Mike, making it hard for him to breathe.

"Oh my God! Butter? Where did you find it?" His wife's surprised expression softened Mike's heart instantly.

He remembered the day they met at the ball, that passionate night, and the vows he made at their wedding.

"It was a gift from one of my men..." Mike explained somewhat awkwardly.

"He must be a fine young man," the lieutenant colonel's wife declared, immediately judging her sensible subordinate.

"That brat is wasting his time on these things," Lieutenant Colonel Miken grumbled unhappily.

His wife, however, didn't seem to mind: "You're always so stubborn! I think it's good to have such a clever subordinate."

She certainly thought it was great, because what she was holding was something that couldn't be bought anymore.

Mark's salary was only enough to buy some potatoes. Although his family wasn't starving, they hadn't had a decent meal in a long time.

Colonel McKen glanced at his wife, who had become much thinner, and sighed apologetically.

"Wow! Apple jam!" The little girl, carrying her doll, came out of the house and saw the glass jar on the dining table. Her voice suddenly rose: "Daddy! I love you!"

This exclamation melted even the hardened heart of Lieutenant Colonel McConnell.