To complete this area you have to get three keys that unlock the door to your next permanent upgrade, which you need to progress to the next area. Each key is located at the end of separate paths. One of these paths leads to a challenge room that has to be completed to get the key. Three waves of increasingly difficult enemies. It's a really difficult room. There is a respawn machine just outside of this area -- don't use it before entering the challenge room. It's a waste of ether. The game resets your room progress when you respawn, so when you reenter you're always starting from wave one without any consumables you already used.

Upgrade your suit and restock with health consumables and hopefully a spaceman in area 4, and complete this room first. Once it's complete, use the respawn machine before continuing down the other two paths, which each lead to a mini-boss you have to kill to get the keys.

The shotgun with narrow spread and slug mods works really well for most of this biome, but the pylon driver was an absolute necessity in that challenge room. I hope it's available for use by everyone by that point.