Chapter 10
The First Identity
The park slowly became quieter as the morning passed.
The early joggers had already left, and the crowd of office workers had disappeared into the surrounding buildings. Only a few people remained walking along the paths.
Anshul sat on the bench for several more minutes.
His mind continued running through different possibilities.
The problem was clear.
Identity.
In this world, every person existed inside a system.
Government databases.
Bank records.
Driver's licenses.
Social security numbers.
Without those things, a person technically did not exist.
And right now, Anshul was exactly that.
Someone who did not exist.
If the police stopped him and asked for identification, he would have no way to explain himself.
That situation could easily become dangerous.
Anshul stood up from the bench and began walking toward the exit of the park.
His brain was already working through a solution.
Fake identities.
That was the simplest answer.
But creating a fake identity in the modern world was not easy.
Physical documents alone were useless.
Everything was connected to digital databases.
Which meant the real challenge was entering those systems.
And that required skill.
Programming.
Cybersecurity.
Data manipulation.
Luckily, these were exactly the fields Anshul had started studying.
He walked into a nearby electronics store and purchased a cheap laptop.
It was not powerful, but it was good enough for basic work.
After leaving the store, he found a small café and sat near the window.
The laptop booted up slowly.
Anshul connected to the café's Wi-Fi network and began setting up a basic development environment.
Normally this process would be slow and frustrating.
But with NZT enhancing his brain, everything felt extremely simple.
Commands appeared naturally in his mind.
Programming syntax felt intuitive.
Even unfamiliar software became easy to understand after only a few minutes of observation.
Within half an hour, he had already installed several tools.
Network scanners.
Security testing software.
Programming frameworks.
The laptop screen filled with lines of code.
Anshul leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Not bad."
His learning speed was still increasing.
NZT was pushing his brain far beyond normal limits.
But he knew he could not rely on the drug forever.
The side effects mentioned in the movie were real.
Memory loss.
Physical weakness.
Blackouts.
Eventually death.
If he used it too often, the consequences could become serious.
Which meant he needed something else.
Automation.
A system capable of handling tasks without requiring constant human effort.
An AI.
The idea returned to him once again.
An artificial intelligence assistant.
Not a fully self-aware machine like in science fiction.
But something capable of processing information, organizing data, and assisting with complex tasks.
Anshul began typing quickly.
Lines of code appeared across the screen.
Basic architecture.
Data parsing.
Automated web crawling.
The first version of his AI would be simple.
A digital tool designed to collect and analyze public information.
For example:
Government databases.
Public records.
Corporate filings.
Financial reports.
All of this information existed online.
It only needed to be gathered and organized.
Anshul's fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.
His brain worked several steps ahead of his hands.
Within an hour, the basic framework of the system was already finished.
He paused and looked at the code.
"This should work."
The program would search public records and attempt to locate unused identity numbers.
Once a suitable profile was found, he could slowly construct a digital identity around it.
Driver's license applications.
Bank accounts.
Utility records.
Everything would need to match.
It was a complicated process.
But not impossible.
Especially with NZT assisting his thinking.
Anshul started the program.
The screen began filling with data.
Names.
Addresses.
Numbers.
The system scanned through thousands of records within minutes.
While the program worked, Anshul opened the World Theater interface again.
Traveler Level: 1
Current World: Limitless
Story Progress: 9%
The story was still progressing slowly.
Which meant the protagonist of the movie had probably not taken NZT yet.
That was good.
The more time Anshul had, the better prepared he would become.
He closed the interface and returned his attention to the laptop.
Suddenly, the program stopped.
A notification appeared on the screen.
Candidate identity located.
Anshul leaned forward slightly.
The information appeared in a small window.
Name: Daniel Carter
Age: 21
Status: inactive records
The identity belonged to a person who had moved overseas several years ago.
His records still existed in several databases but had not been updated recently.
Which meant the digital footprint was weak.
Perfect for modification.
Anshul studied the data carefully.
His enhanced brain quickly began planning the next steps.
Bank account creation.
Driver's license registration.
Phone number.
Each element would slowly reinforce the identity.
Within a few days, Daniel Carter would become a real person again.
Except that person would actually be Anshul.
He closed the window and leaned back in his chair.
Outside the café window, people continued walking along the busy street.
Cars moved through the intersection.
Life continued normally.
No one paid attention to the young man typing quietly on a laptop.
But behind that screen, a new identity was being born.
And that identity would allow Anshul to move freely through this world.
For the first time since arriving here, he would finally exist.
Anshul smiled slightly and returned to the keyboard.
Because this was only the first step.
If he planned to travel across countless worlds…
He would need many more identities before the journey truly began.