Dawn inside the gunboat radio cabin; the night-watch lock is opened and the corridor beyond is already busy.

A corridor duty board displays reporting rules, making the danger of Lin's hidden decrypt legible.

On the mess deck, Lin sees A-Sheng in the ration line and understands what her arrest would cost.

Lin checks the hidden decrypt in a storage alcove, reminding the reader of the exact danger.

Lin sees Tang at work on the bow, decent and procedural with the sailors.

Tang signs requisition papers near the radio crew; Lin notices the receipt stamp case as both authority and opportunity.

Flashback to a freezing night when Tang taught Lin to sip rice wine during a long watch.

The rice wine memory continues, showing Tang's gentle humor and Lin's wary trust.

Back in the present, Lin sees Tang defer to Captain Shen and understands how little room there is for an informal warning.

Flashback to Tang letting Lin help with requisition receipts, establishing that she knows his stamp routine.

The receipt-stamp memory becomes dangerous as Lin realizes the skill could be misused.

Back in the present, Lin briefly considers imitating Tang's mark and stops herself.

A-Sheng passes with messages, and Lin learns where Tang will be without making A-Sheng part of the secret.

Lin approaches Tang in a quieter passage, choosing direct warning over forgery for now.

Lin begins the indirect warning by asking about unusual orders and the bow rail.

Lin tries to describe the procedural trap without admitting the hidden decrypt exists.

Lin reaches for a shared memory to make Tang take her seriously, but it leads him toward the wrong interpretation.

Tang gently assumes Lin is confessing personal feelings brought on by fear and sleeplessness.

Lin tries again with concrete instructions, but Tang treats them as anxiety rather than intelligence.

Tang unintentionally repeats the rule that prevents Lin from saving him honestly.

Lin almost says the plain truth, but a call from the passage ends the moment.

Tang's kindness feels like another locked door, and Lin is left alone in the passage.

Lin finds a fresh stamped requisition and realizes again that she can imitate Tang's receipt mark.