After crossing the desert, Lana and Conan are discovered by a man named Patch, who works at an Industrian salvage platform where a passenger ship is about to be uplifted from the seabed. After proving his diving skills to Patch, Conan and Lana are set to work. Terit, an ambitious worker on the platform who longs to be elevated to a higher grade of citizenship in Industria, tries to identify them. He sneaks onto the Falco, which stopped by, and informs Monsley that Conan and Lana are there.

Terit returns to Industria and is given a radio to inform Lepka when Lana meets her grandfather. However, an earthquake hits the desert island; Patch goes down and gets trapped beneath the ship, and Conan rescues him. When Patch is revealed to be Dr. Lao, Terit informs Industria of Dr. Lao's presence; but another tremor causes the beach near the salvaging platform to sink into the ocean, and the platform begins to float out to sea. Knowing that Industria will send forces to capture them, Lao, Conan, and Lana escape in a small lifeboat.