red moscow

Chapter 3156

The previous owner of the villa, whether German or Romanian, was clearly a bibliophile, leaving behind an exceptionally rich collection of books covering literature, history, philosophy, and even art. The shelves were densely packed with classics in various languages, some even retaining the musty smell characteristic of old books. For the next week, Sokov stayed indoors, contentedly reading in his study, seemingly isolated from the world, accompanied only by the birdsong outside the window and the rustling of pages.

That day, Sokov was engrossed in a thick book about the European Renaissance. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the pages. Gulia entered from outside, carrying a newspaper. Her footsteps were soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing the general's reading. "Comrade General," she said, placing the newspaper on the desk in front of Sokov.

Sokov looked up from his book, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, picked up the newspaper on the table, thanked Gulia as usual, and casually asked, "Gulia, is there any special news today?" His voice was languid, clearly still immersed in the world of the book.

Gulia, who had originally planned to put down the newspaper and leave, stopped abruptly upon hearing Sokov's question and replied respectfully, "Comrade General, the biggest news today is the official announcement of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureates." Her tone revealed a hint of excitement, indicating that she was very interested in the topic.

Upon hearing this, Sokov immediately became interested. He quickly spread out the newspaper, glanced at the front page, and asked, "I wonder what the name of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature is, and what country he is from?" He had always paid attention to literary awards, especially in this special period after the war, as the awarding of the Nobel Prize often reflected the trends of international culture.

“The award-winning author is Hermann Hesse, and he is German,” Gulia replied after reading the newspaper, taking a step closer to convey the information more clearly: “His winning work is ‘The Glass Bead Game.’ The newspaper also briefly introduced his life and the background of his work.”

“The Glass Bead Game?” Sokov repeated the title of the work, trying to search his memory for information about the novel. After thinking for a long time, he realized that he had never heard of the work before. So he tentatively asked Gulia, “I wonder what this book is about? I don’t know much about Hesse’s works. I only vaguely remember that he wrote Steppenwolf.”

“Comrade General!” Gulia replied, her voice becoming more serious, as if reporting important intelligence: “The Glass Bead Game is a novel written by Hermann Hesse between 1931 and 1943, first published in Switzerland in 1943. Set in the fictional future world of Castari, the spiritual kingdom, the work follows the orphan Knecht as he grows into a master of the glass bead game, showcasing his transformation from identifying with the utopian order to questioning the closed nature of the system. Newspaper reviews have described the novel as a masterpiece rich in philosophical meaning, exploring the conflict between the individual and the collective, the spiritual and the real.”

“Gulja, I don’t understand. Hermann Hesse was German, and Germany hadn’t been defeated in 1943.” Sokov asked, somewhat puzzled, after listening. He frowned and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Why was his book published in Switzerland instead of Germany? Was it because of Nazi censorship?”

“The reason is simple,” Gulia explained, seemingly having anticipated the question, and answered fluently: “Hermann Hesse was a Swiss citizen of German descent. He lived in Switzerland for a long time, so it was only natural that his books would be published there. Moreover, he maintained an anti-war stance throughout the war, and while his works might have been restricted in Germany, they could be freely distributed in a neutral country like Switzerland. Newspapers also mentioned that his works have gained increasing international acclaim in recent years, making this award well-deserved.”

Sokov nodded thoughtfully, his gaze returning to the newspaper. He murmured to himself, "I see. It seems that even in turbulent times, literature can still find its way." He gestured for Gulia to leave, then continued reading the newspaper, a hint of curiosity rising in his mind about the book "The Glass Bead Game." Perhaps one day in the future, he too would find a work by Hesse in this rich collection and savor it carefully.

Not long after Gulia left, the telephone on the table rang. This was part of a machine that Sokov had recently installed so that he wouldn't lose contact with the outside world while reading in his study.

"I am Sokov!" Sokov grabbed the microphone and held it to his ear: "Who is this?"

The next moment, a somewhat familiar voice came through the receiver: "Hello, Deputy Commander, this is Butko!" "Butko?" Sokov silently repeated the name in his mind, immediately realizing that the other party was the director of the Odessa Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: "Oh, it's you, Director! May I ask what brings you here?"

“That’s right, Comrade Deputy Commander!” Butko said respectfully, “We have captured the female assassin who attacked the Ministry of Internal Affairs officer on the street. We found the camera she used in the attack in her residence, and inside we discovered a device that could fire poison needles. After comparison by professionals, the poison needles remaining inside are exactly the same as those used to kill Sofia.”

Sokov had assumed the assassin had fled the city after the attack, but he hadn't expected her to fall into the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Comrade Director, I'd like to ask, who is she? Who instructed her to dare to attempt an assassination of an Ministry of Internal Affairs official?"

“I’m sorry, Comrade Deputy Commander! I don’t think I can answer your question.” After saying this, perhaps worried that Sokov might misunderstand, he made a point of explaining: “After the female assassin was captured, she immediately bit off the poison sac hidden in her teeth and died on the spot from the poison. Therefore, we cannot know her true identity, let alone figure out her true purpose in assassinating Sofia.”

“That’s such a pity.” Sokov was disappointed that he didn’t get the answer he wanted. “With her death, the trail is completely cut off. We will never know if there are any of her accomplices in Odessa, or if similar assassination attempts will happen again.”

“Yes, Deputy Commander, you’re right,” Butko agreed. “This is indeed a potential problem for us. But we will find a way to investigate and prevent similar incidents from happening again.”

Sokov felt he had nothing more to say to Butko and was about to find an excuse to end the call when he heard the other party suddenly say, "By the way, Comrade Deputy Commander, there is something else I need to tell you."

"what's up?"

“I’ve been informed that General Lunev will be visiting us in a few days,” Butko said. “I thought he was a good friend of yours, so I wanted to let you know.”

Upon learning that his old partner Lunev was coming to Odessa, Sokov was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Comrade Director! When will Lunev arrive? I'd like to make preparations to receive him in advance."

But Butko did not give him a definite answer. Instead, he said with some difficulty, "I'm sorry, Comrade Deputy Commander! For security reasons, General Lunev's specific itinerary is strictly confidential. Even if you are his friend, I cannot reveal the specific time to you. Please understand."

Not getting the answer he wanted, Sokov couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he didn't show it. Instead, he said in a nonchalant tone, "You're right, Director. Lunev's identity is special, and the specific details of his trip must indeed be kept strictly confidential. But it doesn't matter. Since he's an old friend of mine, he'll definitely come to visit me after he arrives in Odessa."

Sokov picked up his slightly cold coffee, took a sip, and continued, "Thank you, Director! Thank you for telling me this good news."