The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 147 - 159: The New Wealth Code

Wasting wealth is absolutely the most shameful act.

Since they are resources, they must be put to good use. Those German overseas intelligence officers will definitely come in handy in the future.

However, Pierre was just as interested in those "elite" of the Third Reich who had fled—more precisely, he was interested in the money they had in their hands.

According to later accounts, after the collapse of the Third Reich, its exiles took with them vast fortunes, possibly amounting to billions of dollars. There were even rumors of the so-called "Third Reich hoard." People swore by these stories, because Germany had indeed plundered enormous wealth.

It wasn’t just the state; in fact, many of the top brass in the Third Reich were on a whole other level compared to mere royal relatives. Take Göring, for example—his favorite pastime was "borrowing" art treasures from various museums to enjoy in his own home.

After enough "appreciation," those treasures naturally became his.

This behavior trickled down from the top. Nearly all high-ranking officials and local leaders in the Third Reich acted like this. In fact, the local officials in the occupied territories were even more shameless, sometimes directly "borrowing" things from wealthy households.

Gold, art, foreign currency... those people had it all.

In short, these people were absolutely loaded!

Because many of them fled to South America, some even attributed the economic rise of South America in the 1950s to 1970s to these people and the wealth they brought with them.

Even though that wealth belonged to them, when they converted their gold into local currency to survive, the host country gained hard currency. When they spent money on goods and supplies, the local economy was stimulated. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Pierre had never thought of robbing these people—robbery was the work of bandits, mere vermin. To stoop to robbing them would be beneath him. At most, he might provide some intelligence to the Israelis in the future. He believed the Israelis would take care of everything.

Of course, before that, he had to make money off them—and squeeze them for every last penny!

So, he had long been eyeing these wealthy folks. The only question was: would they be willing to go to Borneo, to Southeast Asia?

Well, now at least some of them were willing to go!

That was definitely a good thing!

As far as Pierre was concerned, he was by no means a black-hearted businessman—he just liked to "shear the wool," that’s all.

His principle was: as long as there’s wool to be sheared, he would never leave empty-handed.

Very soon, Pierre reached an agreement with Berlin: tickets, accommodations in Borneo—everything cost money, in short.

Don’t complain about the price. At this time, even if you had money, you might not be able to spend it!

"Are you sure you’ll have already returned to Borneo when we need you?"

Once again, Berlin looked at Pierre and asked.

"You must understand, the ’Safe Haven Plan’ doesn’t just have your solution—we have other options. In fact, yours is only a backup plan. If you can’t provide the promised protection..."

Berlin was a good man.

Pierre mentally gave Berlin a "good guy card." Ever since he’d known him, Berlin had always been so straightforward. Doing business with him was always reassuring; he was a truly honest fellow.

In fact, deep down, Pierre had already decided that Berlin would definitely have a place in Hydra in the future.

Pierre never shortchanged his friends.

"Don’t worry, my friend. When you need it, I guarantee I’ll have already returned to Borneo. Next year..." Pierre smiled and said, "A lot of things will change."

There were still five months until their escape. In five months, Borneo should have already been retaken by the Allies—it was already May 1945, after all. MacArthur was already returning to the Philippines, staging his famous "I have returned" drama. Borneo was so close—MacArthur would surely take it back as well.

Once MacArthur took Borneo, and with Churchill’s recognition, returning to Borneo to become a local overlord would be a piece of cake.

Sometimes, when luck comes, nothing can stop it.

Finally, Berlin brought up his own affairs. He had already taken his family to Switzerland. As he had promised, Pierre assured him he would get them from Switzerland to Borneo.

Berlin expressed his gratitude for this. As they were saying goodbye, Pierre asked:

"Berlin, what’s your real name?"

The sudden question took Berlin aback. He smiled and said,

"When we meet again, I promise I’ll tell you. For now... I’m just Berlin, from Berlin, and now I must return to Berlin."

Watching Berlin’s departing figure, Pierre couldn’t help but sigh. Now that he was returning to Berlin... would they have a chance to meet again?

He hoped so. After all, Hydra needed trustworthy people to keep it running.

Life’s encounters are sometimes so strange. Pierre had never imagined he would form a deep friendship with a Nazi. But in his heart, he truly regarded Berlin as a friend.

After settling Berlin’s family in Switzerland, Pierre set out on his return journey—from Switzerland to Tunis, from Tunis to New York. In the deep of night on New Year’s Day, Pierre finally returned to New York.

Late-night New York was littered with New Year’s confetti, dazzling neon and festive lights illuminating the night sky. Compared to the decline on the European continent, New York seemed little changed from before the war. If there was a difference—

---

In other words, it meant even greater wealth.

Yes, the wars in Europe caused wealth to rapidly accumulate in the United States, rescuing the country from the Great Depression. While Europeans were caught in the flames of war and hunger, America was making a fortune from the war, and almost everyone was able to profit from it.

As for all this, Pierre didn’t care in the slightest. At this moment, eager to return home, his thoughts turned to the two beautiful women waiting for him, and his heart burned with desire.

After all, a man is still a man, and Pierre was no exception.

Even heroes have their needs... Besides, Pierre was just an ordinary man. Determined to give Heidi a surprise, he hadn’t told them in advance when he would be coming back.

Soon, the car arrived in front of the brownstone across the street from Central Park. It was already midnight. He got out, took out his key, and opened the door. Pierre went straight up to the second floor, but as he stood in front of the two bedroom doors, he hesitated.

Heidi, or Ava?

Hmm, as their strengths flashed through his mind, he finally chose Heidi’s bedroom on the left. Although Ava had a more voluptuous figure, Heidi was the perfect combination of intelligence and beauty. As for Ava—

She could wait a little longer.

Twisting open the door, Pierre entered the room. The familiar scent of perfume in the dark made his heart flutter. He had been through so much lately, and only now, at home, did he truly relax. He walked slowly to the bedside. A faint sliver of light filtered through the curtains, and he could just make out the beauty lying on the bed. Lifting the blanket, Pierre slipped in. The moment the warm, jade-like body entered his embrace, a smile tugged at his lips.

God knows how much he missed all of this back in Bastogne. Only after experiencing the ravages of war can one truly appreciate the beauty of life.

With a beauty in his arms, his hands began to roam.

Soon, the room was filled with the soft moans of a woman, and Pierre naturally lost himself in the moment. Who knows how much time passed, but suddenly, the woman in his arms stiffened, her whole body trembling. Well, it had been a long time—they missed each other, after all.

"Darling, it’s me. I’m back..."

Just as Pierre kissed her earlobe, trying to awaken Heidi’s passion, a sharp scream rang out right next to his ear. In the next instant, he was sent flying out of the bed...