The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?!

"Crack!"

Doctor Nile grabbed the horse's head and crushed it into ice shards.

"As expected, my idea was correct."

Snow Horse emerged from the ice wall.

It seemed to be in decent shape, though the injured parts were all covered with snowflake-shaped patterns.

"As long as you're alive, there's always someone who can kill you. Only when you're dead can you live forever."

Snow Horse said slowly.

"But you aren't truly dead; you just hid away. You hid for hundreds of years, yet you were still discovered, right?"

Liu Zheng pointedly remarked.

"At least I had a few hundred years of peace. If, after a few more centuries, I haven't evolved, then perhaps I'll just die of old age."

"I can help you evolve; my master happens to need a horse subordinate god."

Doctor Nile took the opportunity to say.

"Where did the original horse subordinate god go?"

Snow Horse asked the critical question.

"It... died in battle."

After a moment's hesitation, Doctor Nile nonetheless told the truth.

"If even the subordinate gods died in battle, your god must not be doing well either, right?"

Snow Horse pursued the question.

Doctor Nile remained silent with a gloomy face.

"If I become a subordinate god, then your god will stir up another divine war. Whether I go or not, I'm dead; I may not even last for several hundred years. Ha."

Snow Horse let out a cold laugh.

"It seems you are determined to reject my goodwill."

Doctor Nile also lost his patience.

"I have lived eight hundred years, spending the first five hundred as someone else's mount and war beast. Only these last three hundred have I lived for myself. Rather die than live without freedom."

Snow Horse's voice gradually calmed, yet it left Doctor Nile feeling a hint of unease.

"You're wrong."

Liu Zheng interjected.

"Hmm?"

Snow Horse looked towards him.

This creature, of unknown nature, seemed insignificant in strength, yet it made it feel a deep sense of danger, no less than that divine servant.

"In my hometown, there's a poem. Love is precious, but freedom is even more priceless. For the sake of life, both can be discarded."

"Life is so exciting, life is so glorious. As long as you're alive, there's hope; as long as you're alive, there's opportunity."

"The first job I took in the city was at the Bloody Restaurant. On my first day at work, I was beaten so badly that I couldn't make deliveries in time. If I followed your thinking, I'd already have blown up with the person who beat me, at least dying with dignity."

"But I didn't. I went out of my way to please my enemy, enduring the pain of being gnawed by insects, the humiliation of being forced to drink urine, the loss from being 'eaten alive', and finally successfully completed the first order."

"Only then do I have what I have now—the capital to be arrogant and the satisfaction of revenge. And I believe, one day, I'll have the freedom to work if I want to or relax if I don't."

"And even if I can't obtain freedom, I can make those who deny me freedom go to hell."

Liu Zheng declared proudly.

"You're absolutely right."

Snow Horse surprisingly agreed.

However, it ominously said in the next moment,

"So, I plan to send you all to your deaths now."

"Why? We haven't taken away your freedom."

Liu Zheng asked curiously.

"Who are you fooling? He obviously wants me to become a subordinate god of his god."

Snow Horse lifted its hoof, pointing at Doctor Nile.

"Wanting and doing are two different things. You can choose to agree, or you can refuse. Anyway, don't you still have a few hundred years before your time is up? By then, if you haven't evolved, you can reconsider whether to agree or not."

"Doctor, can you wait that long?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"No problem."

Doctor Nile nodded.

With Ela God's divine favor, maintaining his intelligence for another thousand years would be no issue.

The Nile River Pantheon has a long lineage. God La's condition is poor, but he's certainly not going to die; he has plenty of patience.

"I can swear in the name of my lord."

Doctor Nile added.

Unless the god's divine office inherently involves deception or lies, swearing in the name of a god is usually quite binding.

And an esteemed deity like the Sun God generally wouldn't have such offices.

"How do I know you won't reveal my existence to others?"

Snow Horse's attitude seemed to soften slightly.

"Doctor Nile can continue to swear. As for me..."

Liu Zheng's eyes sparkled with a sudden idea.

"I've got it, I can sign a contract with you."

"Sign a contract? A contract that you won't divulge my whereabouts? If you breach it, can I still sue you in court?"

Snow Horse felt he was insulting its intelligence.

"No, no, no, you're mistaken. I intend to sign an exclusive supply contract with you."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"You have to supply me with specialties at the lowest price, ensuring both quantity and quality. In return, I will ensure your information stays confidential and assist in safeguarding your specialty area."

He spoke at length.

Once the relationship between the two parties becomes intertwined with interests, he might even care more about Snow Horse's safety than Snow Horse itself.

"Will this porcupine agree?"

Snow Horse gazed thoughtfully at Bai San.

"I can sign a supplemental agreement with them later. Actually, even if you kill us, it won't make a difference because their family already knows. You can't possibly kill their entire family."

"This time we haven't collided, but there's always a next time when we will. If enough people die, even a fool would notice something's up. By then, with blood feuds established, they won't be as easy to talk to."

Liu Zheng laid out the stakes.

Snow Horse remained silent after hearing this.

"I saw how much you enjoyed the fight earlier. You've been in seclusion for hundreds of years—it must be boring. A horse can certainly be free by staying home, but going out to play is also beneficial for body and mind. The Metropolis is so vast; you should take a look around."