Xian was soon planted undercover at Royal Palms Resort as a receptionist, mostly because they had nothing better to do with her, and feels shame and disappointment that her potential is being wasted. However, the team and its members were commissioned by the police force for the PR boost rather than their skill. She decided to follow in her father's footsteps and joined the Hong Kong police force, where she was selected to join the first all-female anti-organized crime unit.
Xian Mei was born and raised in China by her father, a Hong Kong police force chief inspector who taught Xian martial arts from a young age, and was murdered by a Triad enforcer. In addition to this in the second game, there's also the group of survivors who you actually manage to shepherd through the entire game.
In Riptide, they appear in-game as quest-givers.
Each character has a distinct preference in weapons and fighting styles based on their personal history. The player character of Dead Island is picked from one of four vacation-goers on the island of Banoi, with the additional option of a quarantined navy-man they meet in Riptide.