Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Different

Upon arriving at the sanatorium, Admiral Hans greeted them outside as he had before. Unexpectedly, however, Lu Xiao also saw Admiral Fred.

Their eyes met. His gaze was open and sincere; it was Lu Xiao who was rather surprised. After greeting Admiral Hans, she asked Admiral Fred, “Sir, what brings you here?”

Hans paused, slightly taken aback. He had been just about to introduce them, never expecting that Lu Xiao and Fred… “You two know each other?”

Lu Xiao nodded. “Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting Admiral Fred not long ago.”

Standing nearby, Teacher Ai Li and Teacher Sherry exchanged a glance, and both saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.

’Speaking of “not long ago”… the only time that comes to mind is when Lu Xiao met her blind date.’

’So, does that mean Admiral Fred was her blind date?’

Hearing this, Admiral Hans glanced between the two of them. A smile of realization touched his lips. “I almost forgot, Admiral Fred is one of your father’s most capable men. He came to visit his brother today, and since he knew you all would be here, he came over as well.”

“I hope I won’t be disturbing your work,” Admiral Fred said apologetically.

Lu Xiao simply smiled at him, saying nothing more. She still had a lot of work to do, and Admiral Fred’s presence here didn’t really affect her.

After entering the sanatorium, Lu Xiao first went to see Vilke.

As the only patient in the sanatorium who currently met the criteria for discharge, Vilke enjoyed a great deal of freedom. In addition to a private room, he was allowed to go outside and no longer had to wear restraints.

When she found Vilke, he was lounging in a rocking chair, and the room was filled with relaxing light music.

Vilke only snapped out of his reverie when Hans turned off the music. As his gaze landed on Lu Xiao’s face, his eyes filled first with surprise, then with joy.

He rose to his feet in one clean motion. “Healer Lu! What brings you here?”

“I had some business here and thought I’d stop by to see you. You look like you’re doing well?”

“Extremely well. These have been the happiest days of my life. I know it’s all your doing. Thank you so much.”

Vilke was thrilled. He’d thought he would only ever see Lu Xiao at the Fifth Research Institute’s clinic; he never imagined she would come to the sanatorium, let alone make a special trip just to see him.

“I reviewed your latest report on the way here. Your condition is very stable. In another week, you’ll be able to leave the sanatorium. Do you remember what we talked about before? What do you want to do after you get out?”

Vilke suddenly remembered the moment Lu Xiao had first asked him that question back in her clinic.

’Did that mean that even back then, Lu Xiao was confident he would see this day?’

The rims of his eyes reddened. Forcing it back, Vilke pulled his lips into a smile. “I want to travel for a while, and then find a place I like and settle down.”

“That sounds wonderful. I hope you achieve your dream.”

“I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

“Okay. You have one more treatment session next week. We’ll see each other in the clinic then. Rest well.” With that, Lu Xiao didn’t linger, turning to follow Admiral Hans out.

Vilke watched her retreating figure until she was out of sight, unwilling to look away.

Fred, walking behind the others, glanced back at Vilke standing rooted in the doorway.

Then, he turned his gaze to the young female walking beside Admiral Hans.

’I judged her too hastily,’ he thought.

’I underestimated her.’

After seeing Vilke, Lu Xiao went straight to an examination room to wait for Dean.

This time, Dean walked in by himself. He seemed to have been doing well lately—his complexion was healthy, he had put on a little weight, and he’d lost the lifeless, defeated air he had when they first met.

Everything seemed to be trending in a positive direction.

“Dean, good morning. You’re looking well,” Lu Xiao greeted him as if he were an old friend.

Lu Xiao possessed none of the airs of a high-status female; she treated everyone before her as an equal, regardless of who they were.

Seeing Lu Xiao made Dean a little flustered. “Good morning, Healer Lu. I’m very happy to see you. Thanks to you, I’ve been doing very well lately.”

His condition had improved from Mid-Advanced to Mid-stage Intermediate, his Half-beastification was resolved, and he could now nap for a short while each day. The naps were brief, but it was a world of difference from before.

“You’ve made it this far because of your own hard work and perseverance. Don’t sell your own efforts short. Okay, enough chitchat. Let’s begin today’s Spiritual Soothing.”

The four teachers, led by Teacher Ai Li, began first.

Lu Xiao would be last.

While Teacher Ai Li and the others performed the Spiritual Soothing, Lu Xiao continuously monitored the readings on the instruments.

Dean’s condition had improved significantly over the past week. If this session went well, he might even recover to the Mid-stage Junior level.

If that happened, Dean’s danger rating would drop by another level.

As she finished this thought, Lu Xiao looked up and happened to meet Admiral Fred’s gaze. She froze for a second, then recalled Admiral Hans mentioning that Fred was here to visit his brother.

“Admiral Fred, do you have a relative here? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Fred was taken aback by her question; he hadn’t expected her to bring the subject up herself.

’Most females would probably run at the mere mention of it, yet here she was, willingly asking.’

’The more contact he had with her, the more he realized just how different Lu Xiao was.’

“Thank you, but his condition…” Fred trailed off and shook his head. “He has already entered a high-risk state. He’s extremely dangerous.”

An S-Class Beastman in a peak-risk state. Lu Xiao had never seen one before. Instead of feeling fear at Admiral Fred’s words, her curiosity was piqued.

“If it’s possible, I’d like to see him. Who knows, maybe there’s still a way to help?” Lu Xiao said, then noticed that Teacher Ai Li and the others had finished the Spiritual Soothing. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Lu Xiao got up and went over to perform Spiritual Soothing on the four teachers first. It was clear their spiritual power had increased recently, as they were in much better shape after treating Dean than they had been previously.

Once the four teachers had recovered, Lu Xiao began her own Spiritual Soothing session.

“Dean, get a good rest.”

Dean gave her a slight nod. “I’ll be in your care, Healer Lu.”

Admiral Fred kept his eyes fixed on Lu Xiao as she performed the Spiritual Soothing for Dean.

Her earlier words echoed in his mind.

’She wanted to see his brother.’

’Was there really a female willing to meet an S-Class male who was already in an advanced, high-risk state?’

’How did she dare?’

Hans came to his side. “Well, Admiral Fred? I take it you’ve never met a female like Lu Xiao before?”

Fred didn’t take his eyes off Lu Xiao.

“Is she always like this?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep