The five soldiers of the First Secret Regiment immediately began clearing out defensive equipment that could pose a threat. Not only did they cut power to the residence and warehouse, they also shut down the workshop with its independent power supply, preventing Tony Stark from activating any armor or other devices. While the soldiers were busy neutralizing threats, Derrick Xian had already stepped in front of Tony Stark. The five soldiers assigned to surround him immediately turned and joined the threat-neutralization effort.
By the time the Praetorian Guard had taken control of the situation, Tony Stark had lost all ability to resist. Even the portable transforming gauntlet disguised as a watch had been cut off by Derrick Xian—before Tony Stark could react, the Praetorian Guard had sliced through the watch with a dagger. Only afterward did he leap up, frantically checking his wrist. Derrick Xian reached out, seized Tony Stark by the shoulder, and looked down at him. By then, Tony Stark had calmed down. The wet grass clippings around his ankles and muddy water soaking through his shoes were irritating, but he had steadied himself because he knew he would not be killed today.
"We have limited time. We need to talk." Derrick Xian slowly released him. "The joint security system maintained by this residence, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI has been temporarily paralyzed by us, but that does not mean those two agencies will fail to notice. We must explain the situation before the relevant personnel arrive."
As Derrick Xian spoke, another operations team was leisurely collecting the spent shell casings. There were two corpses in the safe house. One lay sprawled across the sofa, shot in the chest and forehead, with a ring of scorch marks around the wounds as hot blood rapidly seeped