The drone passed through the narrow corridor, hovering silently in the air. Guided by its programming, the precision micro-camera and sonic collector beneath its black body aimed accurately at the distant target under surveillance. The images and sounds relayed by the drone were sent to the vehicle-mounted receiving system and several data tablets thousands of miles away. These miniature drones manufactured by the City of Immortals were renowned for their stealth and endurance. Thermal imaging showed no excessive heat signatures, infrared detection revealed no bright points, and everything blended perfectly with the darkness and the forest. Even the defense system Tony Stark had built for this country residence could not detect the drones deployed by the Sacred Guard, much less warn the owner that he was being watched.
The intelligence agents could not help shifting their gazes, secretly casting sidelong glances toward the golden armored Demigod at the far end.
This modified DAF heavy truck rode remarkably smoothly. It carried not only the motorcycles and other weapons and equipment for a ten-man operation team, but also a golden anti-gravity hover bike. The genetic password lock on this assault motorcycle, reserved exclusively for the Praetorian Guard, could only be unlocked by Praetorian Guard Derrick Xian. Several hours earlier, Derrick Xian had been assigned to lead this operation team clad in light ballistic armor. Aside from the heavy truck used for the operation, which had been transferred from a former S.H.I.E.L.D. base, all personnel and equipment had been secretly transported to the US East Coast by supersonic transport aircraft.
This operation had to be completed as quickly as possible—before the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI could react, and before Tony Stark could take a helicopter to Houston. This was the most covert plan devised by the Sacred Guard.