The first order of business in the aftermath of the chaotic battle was the rounding up of the surviving enemy members who were still within the building. They were handled with a cold, systematic efficiency, led to the second-floor demonstration room where they were placed under guard with their hands bound.
Most of the rank-and-file had managed to flee into the night during the initial retreat, leaving behind around forty or so people who had been apprehended. These were mostly the ones who were already too severely injured to have made it out of the area in the first place, groaning on the floor as they were secured. Following this, the core members of the Gilt Rats—the primary leadership and the high-ranking scientists—as well as the fallen heavy-hitters Darius and Jett, were brought up to the main hall to face their judgment.
They were lined up on the stage side by side, a row of defeated titans, but there was one glaring absence that immediately drew Max's attention.
