Conan descends to the residential area to rescue Lana. After overhearing Lepka's intentions to flood the caverns, he attempts to defuse the bombs used to create the flooding breach, but is unsuccessful. Lana gives herself up to save the residents; but after she is back in his hands, Lepka seals the exit anyway, leaving the people to drown. When he takes Lana to her grandfather, however, he is forced to learn that Dr. Lao has gone numb and blind from his tortures, rendering further threats against him useless, so he tries to force Lana to contact him by threatening to plunge her off the Triangle Tower. In the meantime Conan rejoins Dyce and Jimsy, and they exit the caverns through a flooded earthquake fissure, where they rescue Monsley, who was about to be executed. They manage to open the main shutter to the caverns, and the residents storm the Triangle Tower.