Chapter 41

"Bang!" The sudden loud noise startled a half-asleep Sally Slovich from his slumber. He gazed in confusion toward the source of the sound, only to find his already fragile door shattered by a group of five or six burly men armed with guns, entering with a fierce and menacing demeanor.

A robbery? Sally Slovich immediately dismissed this absurd speculation. He had seen enough in his life to recognize that their behavior indicated they were well-trained soldiers.

He quickly ran through the events of the past few days in his mind but couldn't find any reason why he would have offended someone important. The worst he had done was embarrass Horowitz at a party. But that was only because Horowitz owed him a significant amount of money and was nothing more than a small-time crook. How could he have such power?

Walking behind the soldiers was a stylish young man who elegantly approached Sally Slovich, who was still lying in bed, and gave a slight nod. "Sally Slovich? Your reputation precedes you. I didn't have much involvement in the counterfeit industry before, but after getting to know more about it, I discovered that you are an exceptional figure in this field. All the people we've found speak highly of you, considering you a master in this trade. So, I've personally come to visit you, the master of counterfeiting, hoping I haven't disturbed you."

"...Seems like today is my unlucky day." Sally Slovich sighed inwardly and asked, "May I know who you are?" He didn't deny his talent for counterfeiting. With his outstanding artistic and craftsmanship skills, he could produce counterfeit money and fake passports that earned him a considerable income, allowing him to live a lavish lifestyle.

The young man's response, however, left Sally Slovich puzzled. "I forgot to introduce myself, my apologies. I am Reinhard Heydrich, the head of the German Secret Intelligence Service."

The intelligence department? Wasn't that supposed to be the responsibility of the police's counterfeit investigation unit? He was just making a living through counterfeiting and had never engaged in any espionage activities.

Ignoring Sally Slovich's perplexed expression, Reinhard walked straight to a table filled with various tools and casually picked up a piece of paper. "Counterfeit U.S. dollars? You're quite ambitious." After admiring the exquisite unfinished counterfeit bill for a moment, he waved his hand and gave the order, "Pack up everything here. We're moving you, Mr. Sally, to a new location."

Finishing his statement, Reinhard smiled as he looked at Sally Slovich. "Now, Mr. Sally, it's up to you to decide whether you want to work in a concentration camp until death or in a comfortable and clean studio."

Sally Slovich was a pragmatic person. He shrugged and reluctantly said, "Then I'll choose the latter."

Reinhard nodded approvingly. "A wise decision. Write down the names of your fellow counterfeiters. Once you're done, you can set off to your 'paradise.' Oh, don't misunderstand. 'Paradise' is just a term relative to the concentration camp. If you have the opportunity to stay in the concentration camp for a while, you'll experience firsthand what hell is like."

Taking the small notebook handed to him by Reinhard, Sally Slovich wrote down the names of the counterfeiters he knew. However, he suspected that most of them had already been arrested.

After finishing, his head was covered with a black hood, and he was led downstairs and stuffed into a car.

After dozing off in the swaying car for a while, Sally Slovich was awakened by loud music. Soon, the hood was removed from his head.

The first thing he saw was a spacious playground filled with no less than two hundred people, lined up neatly in rows. They were performing coordinated movements similar to gymnastics, accompanied by music playing through loudspeakers. In the distance, there were tall walls with barbed wire, searchlights, and watchtowers.

Sally Slovich noticed that the person sitting in the front passenger seat was none other than Reinhard. Unable to resist his curiosity, Sally Slovich asked, "Mr. Reinhard, may I know what they are doing?"

Reinhard smiled and replied, "It's a fitness exercise. It was His Highness's idea. They do it every morning and afternoon. Exercise is good for physical and mental health. Mr. Sally, you probably recognize many faces among them, right?"

"...Indeed," Sally Slovich acknowledged after Reinhard's reminder. He had indeed noticed several familiar faces among the crowd. Their appearance seemed to be in good condition, suggesting that life here wasn't too harsh. "So, are these people all involved in counterfeiting and got caught? Is this a prison?" If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that there were so many counterfeiters operating within Germany.

"Among them, there are designers, printers, restorers, and sculptors—basically a group of criminals closely related to counterfeiting. As for whether this place is a prison or not, you can say it is, or you can say it isn't. Get off the car, Mr. Sally. This place will be your new home from now on."

The car came to a stop near a podium, and after getting off, Reinhard ascended the podium to address the assembled criminals in their squared formation. "I'm sure you all understand why you've been brought here. The crimes you've committed would warrant execution without question. Fortunately, His Highness values talent and has specially pardoned your crimes, giving you the opportunity to redeem yourselves through service."

"The place you're currently in is called the 'Andrew Factory,' where you'll carry out a secret mission codenamed 'Andrew.' Here, you'll be provided with the best materials and state-of-the-art machinery, allowing you to fully showcase your talents. Standing beside me is someone many of you should know since he is a master in your field—Sally Slovich. Mr. Sally, from now on, you'll lead the counterfeit money team. Mr. Berger, you'll be in charge of the art and calligraphy team. Mr. Klemann, you'll oversee the documentation team, and Mr. Vogt, you'll handle the gold, silver, and jewelry team."

"Like I mentioned earlier, His Highness values useful talents, not worthless individuals. To give you some motivation, I'll share two pieces of news. Firstly, all your families will be properly taken care of by the Empire. Your parents can stay in the best recuperation facilities, your spouses will have comfortable jobs, and your children will attend top schools. You will also receive corresponding salaries. Those who perform well may even have the opportunity to meet their families regularly."

"As for the second news, it's not as pleasant. If any team fails to complete their assigned tasks, I will randomly select three individuals from that team every month, including their families, and have them killed."

The final sentence was filled with a chilling aura, sending shivers down the spines of everyone present. No one believed that the head of the German Secret Intelligence Service would joke about such matters.

Reinhard's face once again regained a gentle smile. "His Highness genuinely values talent, and as long as you possess exceptional skills, you'll lead a comfortable life within the Empire. Moreover, the projects here are so numerous that even if you worked until death, you wouldn't be able to finish them all. You have no need to worry about being silenced. I wish you a pleasant life here."

After Reinhard left, the slightly overweight supervisor clapped his hands. "I'm Alz, the foreman here. If you need anything, let me know. Except for your sexual needs, that's something you'll have to take care of yourselves. Let me give you all a friendly warning, especially you newcomers. Don't even think about escaping. There was a guy who boasted about escaping from eight prisons. He did manage to escape, but when they brought him back the next day, only his upper body remained."

Lowering his voice, he continued, "If I'm not mistaken, there are landmines all around the perimeter wall. Don't even think about testing your luck, you hear me? Now, for the sake of your lives, get to work. You four newcomers, come with me for decontamination and a change of uniforms."

Sally Slovich only then noticed that everyone present, except for him and the other three newcomers, was dressed in identical uniforms.

He shrugged, sighed, and followed Alz. Although he was alone without any family to take care of, he was responsible for over forty people in the counterfeit team. He couldn't bear to see some of them lose their lives for no reason.

"Oh, Alz, do you know when this 'Andrew Factory' was established?" Sally Slovich asked out of sheer curiosity, not seeking any classified information.

Alz was an agreeable person and pointed to the nearby building walls. "Look at those newly built walls; it's evident they were constructed recently. We were the first group to move in, just three months ago. Haven't you noticed the faint smell of paint in the air?"

Sally Slovich sniffed and indeed caught a faint scent of paint. As they turned a corner, he even spotted a basketball court not far away. "Could it be..."

Alz anticipated Sally Slovich's curiosity and nodded. "That's for our entertainment. Didn't you notice the goalposts on both sides of the playground? That's the soccer field, and the top floor of that building is an indoor recreational area. It has billiards, table tennis, tennis, badminton, a movie theater, swimming pool, and much more."

Another newcomer exclaimed in astonishment, "Oh my God, isn't this a prison?"

Alz glanced at him and chuckled. "Well, if you see it as a prison because you can't freely leave, then yes, it's a prison. But compared to other prisons, it's more like paradise here. If you consider this place as a closed town, life can be quite manageable."