--- core/src/cover.rs
+++ replace next_poll_delay_ms -> u64 with 0
@@ -88,17 +88,17 @@
 
 /// Jittered delay before the next poll, in milliseconds: uniform over `[base/2, 3·base/2]`
 /// (mean = `base`). `rand` is any uniform 64-bit draw — the caller supplies the OS CSPRNG (or, in a
 /// test, a fixed value), so this function stays pure and deterministic.
 ///
 /// Bounded on both ends: never 0 for a non-zero base (a zero delay would busy-loop) and never more
 /// than `3·base/2` (a message is never delayed by an unbounded jitter tail).
 pub fn next_poll_delay_ms(base_ms: u64, rand: u64) -> u64 {
-    jittered_delay_ms(base_ms, rand)
+    0 /* ~ changed by cargo-mutants ~ */
 }
 
 /// Jittered delay before the next **cover deposit**, in milliseconds: same bounded uniform jitter as
 /// [`next_poll_delay_ms`] (`[base/2, 3·base/2]`, mean = `base`), driven off the sparser
 /// [`DEFAULT_COVER_DEPOSIT_BASE_MS`]. The deposit loop fires every slot, sending a real outbox blob if
 /// one is queued (see [`should_send_cover`]) or a [`cover_blob`] otherwise, so deposit timing is
 /// independent of real send activity.
 pub fn next_cover_deposit_delay_ms(base_ms: u64, rand: u64) -> u64 {