Chapter 100: Reformation of the Prussian Secret Police
After being recalled from Belgorod, Erich returned to Berlin to his post in the area. Like many of the men who had taken part in the Russian Civil War, he was changed by the conflict. Mukden was the start of the man's declining mental state, but Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn had fully cemented his state as a cold, sadistic psychopath.
The only thing stopping the man from acting out of turn was his fear of Bruno and what the man would do to him if he did something to smear his name, and reputation, or God forbid, ruin his future plans.
Bruno, unlike Erich, was a deeply cunning and scheming figure. Erich had known this for a very long time, but Bruno seemed to have a very good understanding of future events and was preparing for them even as they changed in real time.
And while Erich was a capable field commander in his own right, and given command overran the entire army as a general, could prove to be exceptional in that regard. Was still ultimately limited to the battlefield.
Building an Empire or maintaining an Empire's position in history when it was doomed to come crashing down. That was something he was not remotely capable of. And because of this, he simply followed Bruno's orders.
But civilian life was dreadfully boring to the man who had gotten accustomed to killing people for any number of conjured reasons he could come up with. The Reich was in a state of peace, and because of this, he could not actively go out and hunt down enemies of the State.
And hence, the man often found himself in taverns, pubs, and bars, wasting away his nights with a liter of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It was perhaps because of this habit that he was quickly approached by a mysterious organization.
A man sat down at the bar next to Erich on the night that Heinrich and Alya were eating at Bruno's home. The man did not identify himself, nor did Erich recognize him in any capacity. And yet when he spoke, he spoke as if he already knew everything about Erich, especially what he had done in Belgorod.
"You have very powerful friends, you know that? Had I been in your place in Russia, I would have most certainly been handed over to the Okhrana for them to deal with as they please. It is truly a pleasure to meet the Terror of Belgorod..."
Being approached under such shady circumstances by a mysterious stranger who seemed to know everything about him and what he did, even though Bruno had swept it under the rug. Had Erich been armed, he would have reached for his gun.