Regarding the task of clearing lab after unlocking the drone

Guys, after completing the drone there's a task to clear a1 and a2 again. Would it skip it if when the drone is complete I already cleared it until b2 while leaving some rooms? Also if not then can I just do hard mode to complete the task or it needs to be normal mode? I still need aluminum cables but might somehow grind them if I can skip doing lab again.