DC: I am Superman's NPC son?!

The entire world fell into complete silence.

It was as if even the light from the chandelier hanging in the apartment lobby had frozen solid at this moment. Such large power made Ian realize he should have guessed earlier that no ordinary Reaper could wield this level of authority.

For this, he could only blame his insufficient intelligence attributes for failing to fully support his large wisdom, causing his wisdom to intermittently malfunction at less critical moments.

Just as Ian was feeling regretful about this,

The fake Tessa's piercing black-and-white eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at him. Her furrowed brows looked like they were physically twisting her face from an eighteen-year-old girl into a twenty-eight-year-old woman.

Ian's heart sank again. Having already concluded she was a big shot, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously testing the waters.

"You seem... upset?"

Ian knew now wasn't the time to expose her lies. Women of any age would fly into a rage when their lies were exposed, even if they were immortal.

"Don't tell me... even Reapers have those days every month?"

He understood perfectly well that his current strength couldn't afford to provoke an angry big boss of the universe. Fortunately, his emotional intelligence was high enough to know he should play dumb right now.

Ian summoned the acting skills Madison had taught him all their school life.

However,

The fake Tessa's expression stiffened at his words.

"Do you think you're being funny?"

Her voice sounded like it was being squeezed through clenched teeth.

"Huh?"

Ian blinked, appearing genuinely confused. Seeing this, fake Tessa took a deep breath, struggling to maintain her composure. She even raised a hand to rub her temples.

Not because her head actually hurt,

But because if she didn't occupy her hands, she was afraid she might slap Ian to death. Which would be truly terrible, as she really didn't want this guy sticking around her forever.

"Just in the span of a few hours, I've sensed you repeatedly brushing against death's door... You were merely conducting an investigation. There's no way you should have encountered any real danger."

Fake Tessa voiced her confusion, which was likely the reason she had looked out for Ian again so soon. During each level up when Ian triggered the curse, she had witnessed stuff even she couldn't understand.

"I live in Metropolis, with Gotham right next door. Of course, danger is around at every corner when you go outside." Ian blinked, attempting to cute his way out of trouble.

Yet,

"You're not telling the whole truth. I can sense it... Yes, you're drawing power from your dying states." Sure enough, the older a woman was, the sharper her eyes became.

She had obviously deduced Ian's situation.

However,

Maybe because the system's level exceeded even hers, and she could only make judgments by observing Ian, her tone still carried traces of uncertainty when she spoke.

"What can I say?"

Ian quickly realized that even someone of her power couldn't seem to discern his greatest secret. While thinking this, he offered a somewhat vague explanation.

"General MacArthur once said... Death does not miss. But humanity always seeks loopholes in shadows and dreams." Ian spoke with solemn conviction, even mimicking the old general's tone.

"????"

Fake Tessa looked baffled again.

"Wasn't that Morpheus who said that?"

She scrutinized the boy with suspicious eyes.

"Oh, alright, you got me. Let's say Morpheus said it then... MacArthur's quotes aren't missing much without this one anyway." Ian made no effort to hide the regret on his face.

"So you know not just Death... but also the Sandman." Fake Tessa gaze sharpened, her narrowing eyes as if they could pierce through Ian's very soul.

Ian didn't avert his eyes.

Despite the dizziness from meeting her eyes, he nodded firmly.

"I'll uncover your secrets eventually." Rather than getting angry, fake Tessa suddenly smiled, as if she'd discovered something interesting.

Her reaction made Ian smile slightly too. Honestly, compared to those who loved playing "prophet" before ordinary people, but became timid and hid their knowledge when facing true powerhouses, Ian preferred not deliberately concealing things. Of course, he had genuinely put some thought into this approach.

Those powerful beings could search a person's soul in minutes if they wanted information. No matter how cautious an ordinary person was, could their soul really hide anything from entities who had lived countless years?

Even Ian's [Reverse Blood Forge] had been detected!

Forget about leaving clues, just acting too conspicuously would attract attention and risk. And if Ian wanted to obtain long-term death immunity, he couldn't avoid dealing with the boss in front of him.

The rewards are always proportional to the risks. That's why Ian refused to live paralyzed by constant fear. Recalling his first meeting with her, he had mentioned information he shouldn't have known then too, but still his secrets remained undiscovered afterward.

This either meant she chose not to search his memories, or... couldn't search them. Knowing she wouldn't give him life-saving opportunities for no reason, Ian leaned toward the latter.

With this judgment,

He decided to cautiously test the waters once more.

And the results proved,

Metropolis' Gambling King's reputation continued rising.

In the DC universe, few knew the Sandman's true identity, and a female powerhouse who showed the Sandman no respect could only be one being!

The DC universe's ultimate concept, like the Sandman, a member of the Endless—Death herself! Through this small gamble, Ian verified his hypothesis.

"The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish. Maybe I should style my hair into a slick back." Ian mentally patted himself on the back, his expression making the fake Tessa—actually the real Death—increasingly confused.

However,

Fake Tessa didn't inquire further. She had serious matters to discuss.

"I believe I told you this was something you had to handle alone?" Whether fake Death remained unaware of Ian's discoveries or simply didn't care if he saw through the truth was unclear.

She acted completely oblivious to Ian's acting.

"Boss Lady, take a good look at my face... Doesn't it just scream 'noob' in this saving people thing?" Ian tried tactfully and politely hinting that he couldn't handle troubles even Superman struggled with.

"If you keep being this infuriating, you won't need to worry about being a noob anymore." Fake Tessa glared at him, her voice dripping with irritation.

"Got it."

Ian chose to shut up.

Fake Tessa studied him for a few seconds, then glanced at Kara who remained frozen in place, the same Kara who had shown abnormalities earlier. Her black-and-white eyes grew complex.

"Breaking the rules means I should punish you severely, but you've shown me something... unusual." Fake Tessa's voice paused briefly,

As if weighing something.

"You may seek her help, but only her." Her tone brooked no argument, leaving Ian thunderstruck.

"That's not enough insurance! Let me find one more, no, two more!" Ian attempted to negotiate. His carefully laid plans were crumbling before his eyes.

First recruit Supergirl who wouldn't harm Superman, then use her connection to get the Flash, then use the Flash to reach Wonder Woman, what a perfect networking strategy!

And the client just vetoed it? Could they even read proposals properly? Whether you read it or not, at least sympathize with the planning!

Faced with Ian's reluctance,

Fake Tessa showed none of her earlier irritation.

"Believe me, allowing even this is already a risk." Her low voice carried some inexplicable meaning, even a hint of exhaustion.

"Why would it be risky?"

Ian was very surprised and confused.

To this,

Fake Tessa offered no answer.

"We don't hold many cards, and every loss would be irreplaceable." She merely sighed, acting like the Riddler before turning and vanishing through the doorway.

Ian felt that the boss's words had important information.

However,

Before he could parse any meaning,

The world resumed its frequently paused operations.

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