red moscow

Chapter 2599

Before Rublev could respond, Ustinov swaggered into the house with several officers.

"Hello, Comrade People's Commissar!" When Rublev saw Ustinov enter the room, he quickly stood up and greeted him.

"Comrade Rublev, General Sokov still has important design work to complete." Ustinov looked at Rublev and asked coldly: "Can he return to his post now?"

"Of course, Comrade People's Commissar," Rublev replied hurriedly. "I brought him here only for a routine examination. Now that the examination is over, he can of course return to his post."

"Very good, very good." Ustinov said "very good" twice in a row, then turned to Sokov and said, "Misha, since you have accepted my arrangement, why don't you go to your own office to work instead of staying here to chat with Comrade Rublev?"

Sokov knew that Ustinov was trying to help him out, so he quickly followed his lead and said, "Comrade People's Commissar, Comrade Rublev is very talkative. We hit it off right away, so we chatted a little longer. Don't worry, I'll go back to my office and continue working."

After Ustinov took Sokov back to his office, he closed the door himself and asked Sokov cautiously: "Misha, what questions did Rublev ask you just now?"

After hearing Ustinov's question, Sokov weighed the matter for a while and felt that Ustinov was a trustworthy person, so he reported to Ustinov the conversation he had just had with Rublev in the basement.

After listening to Sokov's report, Ustinov nodded slowly and said, "This is actually what I expected. The war is over, and maybe some people think that soldiers are no longer so important, so they start to think crookedly and plan to liquidate some people with outstanding military achievements. Marshal Zhukov, because of his special status, will naturally become the target of some people."

"I think that even if they can't get what they want from me, they may be able to get it from someone else."

"You are right. This is entirely possible." Ustinov stared at Sokov and said, "Even though you are a general now, it would be easy for someone to deal with you. So you should try to keep a low profile so as not to attract too much attention. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Comrade People's Commissar."

"I understand." Ustinov raised his hand and patted Sokov on the shoulder, and continued: "For the time being, you should stay in the General Armament Department to design your weapons and try to avoid contact with outsiders. It may be a good thing for you."

"Okay." Sokov knew that he could avoid a lot of trouble by staying in the General Armament Department. "I can stay and work in the General Armament Department, but I hope that when my child is born, I can be with my wife."

"It's just a small problem." Ustinov said with a smile, "We will definitely meet your request."

Just when Ustinov was about to arrange for Sokov to go to work, the phone on the table rang.

Seeing Ustinov pick up the phone, Sokov gestured to him, indicating that he was leaving first. Seeing Ustinov nod, he turned around and prepared to leave the office. Unexpectedly, as soon as his hand touched the door handle, he heard Ustinov calling him from behind: "Misha, don't leave in a hurry, the call is for you." "What, for me?" Sokov asked in surprise: "Who is it?"

Ustinov did not answer Sokov's question immediately, but extended his hand holding the microphone to Sokov: "Come and listen for yourself, and you will know who it is."

Sokov walked over and took the microphone, and said respectfully: "I am Sokov, who are you?"

"Misha, hello, I'm Malenkov." Malenkov's familiar voice came from the receiver: "How are you these past two days?"

"Very good, Comrade Malenkov, thank you for your concern." Sokov was a little puzzled. He had just arrived at the General Armament Department. Why did Malenkov call here? Did he arrange someone to monitor his every move? With such doubts, he asked tentatively: "Comrade Malenkov, how did you know I was in the General Armament Department?"

"I was just drinking tea with Comrade Beria in his office when I heard him answer a phone call." Malenkov said with a smile, "It seems that the person from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stationed in the General Armament Department called him and said that you were being examined according to procedures. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so after leaving Comrade Beria's office, I called Ustinov specifically to ask about your situation. I didn't expect that you were right next to him. What a coincidence."

Although Malenkov's words didn't seem to have any point, Sokov could tell that he cared about him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Ustinov to find out about his situation. Sokov said quickly, "Thank you, Comrade Malenkov, thank you for your concern. When Comrade Ustinov brought people to the basement to find me, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the investigation of me was over. I was just planning to start my work."

"That's good, that's good." Before ending the call, Malenkov emphasized to Sokov, "Comrade Beria and I still have some friendship. If you encounter people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs making things difficult for you again, remember to call me. I will help you solve these problems."

Sokov realized that Malenkov's words were like giving him a talisman, so he thanked him again.

When Sokov hung up the phone, Ustinov looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Misha, I didn't expect that you actually knew Comrade Malenkov. Can you tell me when you met?"

"Of course, Comrade People's Commissar." Seeing that Ustinov was very interested in how he knew Malenkov, Sokov naturally did not hide anything: "I met him in Berlin, and when we returned from Berlin this time, he and I both took Marshal Zhukov's special train."

"Oh, so that's how it is. I understand." Ustinov nodded and said, "Since you know Comrade Malenkov, you can work with peace of mind in the future. No one will bother you anymore. Once the design drawings are completed, you can go home."

After leaving Ustinov's office, Sokov began to think about his future. Zhukov would be demoted to the Odessa Military District in a few months. With Malenkov's protection, he would not be implicated. His main task at the moment was to sort out the drawings of the PKM general-purpose machine gun, which would be of great help to him in the future.

When he returned to his office, the captain sent by Ustinov to assist him in his work was already waiting there.

When Sokov returned safely, the captain seemed very happy: "Comrade General, you are back!"

"Yes, I'm back." Sokov nodded to the captain, then announced: "Now, we can start working."