Chapter 9
Unwanted Attention
The morning rush in New York was always chaotic.
Cars filled the streets, horns sounded endlessly, and pedestrians moved quickly along the sidewalks as if every second mattered.
Anshul walked calmly through the crowd.
Compared to the noisy environment around him, his mind remained completely quiet.
NZT was still active.
His thoughts moved with incredible clarity.
Every face he passed was automatically analyzed.
Clothing style.
Body language.
Facial expressions.
His brain processed the information without effort.
It was not something he consciously tried to do.
The analysis simply happened on its own.
Anshul turned a corner and entered a quieter street.
Small cafés and bookstores lined the road.
For a moment he considered finding another place to continue studying.
But before he could make that decision, something unusual caught his attention.
A police car was parked across the street.
Two officers stood beside it, speaking with a middle-aged man.
Anshul did not immediately react.
Instead, he slowed his steps slightly and observed them carefully.
His enhanced brain quickly began processing the situation.
The man they were speaking with looked nervous.
He pointed toward a nearby apartment building.
Anshul's eyes followed the direction of the gesture.
And then he recognized the building instantly.
It was the same building where Vernon had been killed.
The apartment where Anshul had obtained the NZT pills.
His expression did not change.
But inside his mind, calculations were already happening.
Police investigation had begun.
That was inevitable.
A murder in a city like New York would not remain unnoticed for long.
However, the situation could still become dangerous.
Anshul had entered that apartment.
Even though he had been careful, there was always a possibility that something had been left behind.
Footprints.
Fingerprints.
Security cameras.
Any small mistake could create trouble.
Anshul continued walking without looking directly at the scene again.
Drawing attention would only make things worse.
Instead, his brain began reviewing every detail of that night.
His entry.
His search through the kitchen.
Opening the oven.
Taking the pills.
Leaving the building.
Everything replayed clearly in his mind.
The advantage of NZT was obvious here.
His memory was nearly perfect.
Every movement.
Every object.
Every step he had taken.
After several seconds of careful analysis, he reached a conclusion.
There were no obvious mistakes.
He had worn gloves.
He had not touched unnecessary objects.
And the criminals who killed Vernon had already destroyed most of the apartment while searching.
If investigators found fingerprints, they would likely belong to those criminals.
Still, Anshul knew one important rule.
Never underestimate the police.
Especially in a world where he had no legal identity.
That was the real problem.
If an officer stopped him and asked for identification, the situation could become complicated very quickly.
Anshul crossed another street and continued moving toward a nearby park.
His mind shifted to problem-solving mode.
The identity issue could not be ignored any longer.
He needed documents.
A passport.
A driver's license.
Bank accounts.
Digital records.
Without those things, living in this world would always be risky.
Anshul sat down on a bench inside the park.
Trees swayed slightly in the wind while several people jogged along the walking paths.
To anyone watching, he simply looked like a student resting for a moment.
But inside his mind, an entire strategy was forming.
The first step was information.
How did identity systems work in this world?
Government databases.
Driver's license registries.
Social security records.
All of those systems were digital.
Which meant they could theoretically be manipulated.
But hacking such systems required advanced technical skills.
Fortunately, Anshul was already studying exactly that.
Programming.
Cybersecurity.
Database structures.
NZT accelerated the process dramatically.
He had already learned more in one night than most students would learn in weeks.
But the task ahead was still complex.
Breaking into government systems alone would be dangerous.
What he needed was automation.
A tool capable of processing huge amounts of data.
A digital assistant.
An AI.
The idea returned to his mind again.
An artificial intelligence designed specifically to help him manage information across different worlds.
Anshul pulled out his phone and began writing notes.
Possible AI architecture.
Data analysis modules.
Security systems.
Identity simulation.
The more he thought about it, the clearer the concept became.
The AI would not need to be extremely advanced at first.
Even a simple system could perform useful tasks.
Monitoring financial markets.
Collecting public data.
Analyzing information faster than a human could.
Later, as he visited more advanced worlds, he could upgrade it.
His thoughts briefly returned to the Elysium world.
The technology there was far beyond modern Earth.
If he eventually reached that level of technology, the AI could evolve into something far more powerful.
But that was a future problem.
For now, the goal was simple.
Build a foundation.
Anshul closed his notes and leaned back against the bench.
Across the park, the city continued moving normally.
Children played near the fountain.
A couple walked their dog.
Office workers hurried toward their buildings.
Everything looked peaceful.
Yet just a few blocks away, police officers were investigating a murder.
And unknowingly, the key to that investigation was sitting quietly in the park.
Anshul Giri.
A traveler from another world.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like things are finally getting interesting."
He stood up and began walking again.
Because if he wanted to survive in this world—and the many worlds beyond it—he needed to move faster.
Learn faster.
Plan better.
And stay one step ahead of everyone else.