Returning the value allows for better high-water tracking without
running into edge cases like the following:
0. The counter is at value X
1. Increment the value (X+1)
2. The value is decreased multiple times in another threads (X+1-Y)
3. Get the value (X+1-Y)
4. Update-if-greater misses the X+1 value which should have been the
high-water
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