Morning came quickly.
For the first time since waking up in this body, Nikolai slept without fear of someone breaking down the door. The uneasy truce he'd built with the thugs had bought him a little peace, at least for now.
When he woke, he felt sharper and more rested. That meant it was time to work.
He needed to know the world he was living in.
Old Nikolai's knowledge was shallow, a few random facts about the country, street gossip, and whatever was needed to scrape by day to day.
Beyond the local neighborhood and a couple of shady contacts, the man had known almost nothing.
He didn't even know who led this nation or how its government worked. Was Astoria run by a president? A council? Something else entirely? If he was going to survive and climb, that ignorance couldn't stand.
It almost irritated Nikolai. The more he thought about the life he'd inherited, the more he saw someone who existed only to drift along, no ambition, no plan, just breathing day to day. He couldn't respect that.
Nikolai disliked weakness, but even more than that, he despised living without purpose. And now, having a second chance, he refused to fall into that same emptiness.
Nikolai washed up, changed into the cleanest clothes he had, and decided to explore before heading to work.
He planned to buy a phone once Stewart paid him the second half of the promised money. For now, he just needed a place to start learning.
He walked through the streets, taking in more detail than he had before. The neighborhood wasn't spotless, but it wasn't crawling with needles or bodies either.
You didn't just trip over addicts or see tents everywhere. Still, it was clearly one of the rougher parts of the city, worn buildings, patched sidewalks, and people who moved with a cautious sort of quiet.
From what little he knew, Astoria wasn't a large nation. Its capital and this city were about the size of major cities he'd known in his past life, but the country itself was small and young compared to global powers.
After a while, he found an internet café. Its sign was faded, but it was open.
He stepped inside. He was instantly met with cheap coffee and electronics, screens flickering against the walls.
His clothes were clean, but no shower could erase the subtle street smell he'd carried for years, oil, old smoke, and stale sweat.
A few people glanced his way, some eyes lingering long enough to measure him before turning back to their screens.
Nikolai ignored them and walked to the counter.
"A cup of coffee," he said calmly. "And I'd like to use one of the computers."
The man behind the counter, young and bored, barely looked up. "Sure." He tapped a screen, handed Nikolai a chipped mug and a slip with a computer number.
Nikolai took the coffee and moved toward the rows of aging PCs.
Nikolai sat down at the computer and stared at the screen for a moment. "Okay… what to search first," he muttered to himself.
He started simple and pulled up a world map. To his surprise, it looked almost identical to the one he knew before.
The continents had the same names and shapes, but as he zoomed in, there were differences. Borders didn't quite match his memory.
Some countries had different names or shifted lines. The land itself was familiar but rearranged enough to catch his attention.
One thing stood out immediately, Murica. The name alone made him smirk; it was a dead giveaway this wasn't his old world.
From there, he moved on to politics. He looked up global leadership, national governments, and major organizations.
Every name he read was unfamiliar. Presidents, ministers, and companies, all different.
It was strange but also freeing. No history tying him down, no enemies here who knew his past.
Curiosity pushed him further. He searched the criminal landscape next, gangs, cartels, mafias.
They existed here just as in his old world, but the players were new. Faces and names he'd never dealt with before.
His own past crimes had been aimed at governments and secret agencies, not local crime families. In this life, the field might be different.
A spark of excitement flickered. He had spent decades rotting in a cell, mind dulled by routine and betrayal.
Now, free again, with a clean slate and a whole new world to learn, he felt something wake inside him.
Such a big world. Such empty space for someone willing to carve a mark.
Nikolai leaned back slightly, eyes fixed on the glowing screen, and smiled faintly to himself.
Nikolai kept searching until he had a general picture of the world. Most of it matched what he already understood, but now he could place himself better.
His father had been Latin and Englese, his mother Ruskovian. That explained why his first name stood out here and why his last name came from Englese roots.
He had known the basics before, enough to fill out forms or answer simple questions, but seeing the maps and reading about the regions made it feel real.
He could now tie his name and face to something concrete instead of living as a man with no history.
What was even better was that he had dual citizenship. Born in Englia and raised in Astoria, he could move between the two if needed. That might come in handy later.
With the general facts sorted out, he also confirmed that the Astorian government ran on presidential elections, nothing unusual, but good to know.
He checked the time. It was almost time to leave. Stewart had wanted him to come in early so they could prepare for the job.
He stood up and finished his drink, leaving a small tip on the table. He always appreciated decent service. It wasn't as if he'd been treated like a king, but no one gave him trouble either, and that was enough to be satisfied.