In the moment of silence, countless thoughts flashed through Hesta's mind.
"...So," she said softly, "the application I submit to Mother City through the base, the contents of my conversation with Mother City... headquarters, Office Number Two for example, would know about it, right?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"Only theoretically?" Hesta said in a flippant tone. "Is it possible for information sent from the base to bypass AHgAs review?"
"Yes, because this underground base is directly connected to Mother City," the terminal replied. "Therefore, if you persuade Mother City—or if Mother City deems it necessary to shield Base Central Hub—then AHgAs will be unable to learn the contents of the communication. Mother City's orders take priority over AHgAs and outrank the headquarters offices."
"That only means it can't obtain the specific contents," Hesta said. "AHgAs would still know that someone inside the base had an encrypted call with Mother City."
"Yes."
"Do you have direct contact with headquarters?"
"If you need to contact any office, I can—"
"No..." Hesta pondered for a while. "What I mean is, can headquarters obtain real-time information from you? And conversely, would you proactively contact people at headquarters? If the answer is yes, under what circumstances?"
The terminal considered the question as well. It evidently drew upon more of its resources—its breathing ring was now brighter, its pulses slower.
"I believe you are asking whether Base Central Hub is independent of the six AHgAs offices." The terminal's movements returned to normal. "Yes. This base is not subject to any office in its operations or management. We and the six offices all belong to AHgAs; there is no hierarchical relationship between us.
"Therefore, under normal circumstances, there is no data exchange between headquarters and me. However, once a potential security incident is detected, I will proactively issue a