The inspector’s messenger returned before noon with a revised order. It praised Han’s caution, then required Yan to remain available for unlimited furnace cycles. The station was also to stop sharing health notes outside the command chain.
Bai read the page twice. The signature was genuine, but the attached roster was old. It listed three workers who had left and two now in the infirmary. He set the new medical board beside the order.
“Which one do you want the next shift to follow?” he asked Tao, the messenger.
Tao frowned. “I was told to collect Yan’s schedule and leave.”
Han asked him to wait while Sella recorded the current output. Tao looked toward the gate. “If I’m late, they’ll say I stalled.”
Yan brought him a bowl of stew. “What was the road like?”
“Flooded west of the relay post. The lamp there is running at half power.”
Bai checked the names on the old roster. “Did command receive the updated injury count?”
