Chapter 3 — The Shot
The walk through New York took longer than Anshul expected.
Although the map showed the distance clearly, moving through the crowded streets was another matter entirely. The sidewalks were filled with people heading home from work, tourists taking photographs, and vendors selling food from small carts.
But Anshul did not rush.
He walked calmly, observing everything around him.
This was his first time in another world, and every detail mattered.
The buildings.
The advertisements.
Even the language spoken around him.
Everything confirmed the same thing.
This was not an illusion.
It was truly another reality.
Anshul stopped briefly near a streetlight and checked his phone again.
The World Theater website was still open.
World: Limitless Mind
Traveler Level: 1
Below the message was the list of worlds.
Limitless Mind
The Princess Diary
Princess Diary: Royal Engagement
Ella the Enchanted
Monte Carlo Journey
The Fashion Intern
Catch Me If You Dare
Money Game
Social Network Era
Elysium Station (Abnormal)
Only the first world was glowing.
The others remained dark.
Which meant he could not enter them yet.
Anshul closed the screen and continued walking.
After another fifteen minutes, the surrounding streets gradually became quieter.
The tall buildings were older here.
Most of them were residential apartments.
He slowed down as he approached the location shown on the map.
"This should be the place."
The building in front of him looked ordinary.
A narrow entrance door.
Several windows above.
Nothing special.
But Anshul knew that somewhere inside this building, a man named Vernon currently possessed one of the most valuable drugs in the world.
NZT.
A substance capable of unlocking the full potential of the human brain.
And very soon, criminals would arrive looking for it.
Anshul looked up at the building again.
He did not immediately enter.
Instead, he walked across the street and leaned against a metal railing.
Waiting.
Timing was important.
If he entered too early, he might run into Vernon himself.
If he entered too late, the criminals might still be inside.
Both situations were dangerous.
So Anshul waited.
Minutes passed slowly.
A taxi drove past.
A couple walked down the sidewalk while talking quietly.
The night air had grown colder.
Anshul checked the time again.
9:07 PM.
"Should be soon."
In the movie timeline, the attack happened late in the evening.
Just as he was thinking this—
BANG.
A sharp gunshot echoed faintly from inside the building.
Anshul immediately straightened.
"That's it."
There was no panic on his face.
Only focus.
The criminals had already done their job.
Which meant Vernon was dead.
But according to the story, they would fail to find the pills.
Because the drugs were hidden extremely well.
Anshul crossed the street quickly.
He pushed open the entrance door and stepped inside the building.
The hallway was quiet.
No voices.
No movement.
But somewhere above, he could hear faint sounds of furniture being moved.
The criminals were still searching.
Anshul did not take the elevator.
Instead, he quietly walked toward the stairwell.
Step by step, he moved upward.
His heartbeat remained steady.
Because he knew exactly what was happening upstairs.
The criminals would search the apartment for several minutes.
Then they would leave, believing the drugs were not there.
Anshul stopped halfway up the stairs and waited.
A few minutes later—
The elevator bell rang.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Then silence returned.
Anshul waited another thirty seconds just to be safe.
Finally, he climbed the remaining steps.
The apartment door was slightly open.
Inside, the room looked like a disaster.
The sofa had been overturned.
Drawers had been pulled out.
Several cabinets were left open.
In the center of the room, a man sat slumped against the couch.
A dark bullet hole was visible in the middle of his forehead.
Vernon.
Anshul did not stare at the body for long.
He had seen enough crime movies to know that curiosity about dead bodies rarely led to anything good.
Instead, he walked straight toward the kitchen.
The criminals had already searched the obvious places.
Cabinets.
Drawers.
Shelves.
But the real hiding spot was somewhere else.
Anshul opened the oven door.
Inside, behind a loose metal panel, his hand touched something solid.
A bag.
He pulled it out slowly.
Inside were several small transparent pill containers.
Dozens of pills.
NZT.
For a moment, Anshul simply stared at them.
Then a slow smile appeared on his face.
"Jackpot."
But he did not celebrate for long.
Instead, he quickly placed the containers inside his backpack.
Then he searched the kitchen one more time.
Inside another drawer, he found something else.
Cash.
Several stacks of American dollars.
Anshul hesitated for only a second before taking those as well.
After all, money would be useful in this world.
Once everything was packed, he walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he glanced back at the destroyed apartment.
The entire event had taken less than three minutes.
Perfect timing.
Anshul stepped into the hallway and closed the door quietly behind him.
Then he walked down the stairs and exited the building.
The cool night air greeted him once again.
Cars continued moving along the street.
People walked past without noticing anything unusual.
No one knew what had just happened inside that apartment.
And no one knew that the most valuable drug in the city had just changed owners.
Anshul looked at the backpack on his shoulder.
Inside it were dozens of NZT pills.
Enough to change the course of his entire life.
He took out his phone again.
The screen displayed the same glowing message.
World: Limitless Mind
Anshul smiled slightly.
"Well…"
"This journey is starting better than expected."