  The response of advection-dominated accretion disks to local disturbances is
examined by one-dimensional numerical simulations. It is generally believed
that advection-dominated disks are thermally stable. We, however, find that any
disurbance added onto accretion flow at large radii does not decay so rapidly
that it can move inward with roughly the free-fall velocity. Although
disturbances continue to be present, the global disk structure will not be
modified largely. This can account for persistent hard X-ray emission with
substantial variations observed in active galactic nuclei and stellar black
hole candidates during the hard state. Moreover, when the disturbance reaches
the innermost parts, an acoustic wave emerges, propagating outward as a shock
wave. The resultant light variation is roughly (time) symmetric and is quite
reminiscent of the observed X-ray shots of Cygnus X-1.
