Spoilers ahead for Dead Island 2.Dead Island 2 plunges players into the heart of the zombie outbreak in Los Angeles, forcing them to survive and rescue as many survivors as they can on their way out. As players progress through the story, they not only meet more characters who have managed to survive the outbreak, but also begin to uncover the secrets behind its origins. It is through Dr. Reed and Lola Konradt that Dead Island 2 players finally understand what caused the outbreak and why it was deemed "necessary" in the first place.
Dead Island 2 tells players that Dr. Rueben Reed, who first reached out to the Slayers after discovering their immunity, was responsible for the outbreak in L.A. His goal was to infect the population in the hopes of finding a more viable cure that would save everyone outside the city, since the zombie plague was inevitably going to spread to the billions living across the world. This is also when Autophage, the ticking time bomb in humanity’s DNA, is explained as the sole cause of the outbreak, with the Dead Island 2 infection destined to eventually turn every person into either a zombie or a Numen, like Konradt and her team.
Who is Lola Konradt?
Prior to the outbreak, Konradt was a billionaire inventor responsible for founding the company OSK, which created the sKOpe servers and the Konstant operating system. The company became one of the biggest in the world, with over half the planet using its software and electronics, casting Konradt into the limelight as one of the richest people to ever live. While Dead Island 2's outbreak stopped her company dead in its tracks, Konradt discovered that not only is she immune to the outbreak, but she is also a Numen - considered humanity's next step in evolution with special abilities.
As a Numen, Konradt was able to thrive in the L.A. outbreak, and eventually began working with Dr. Reed in the hopes of uncovering others like herself. Konradt’s ultimate goal seems to be leading the Numen after the death of humanity, likely rebuilding society in her own image. Konradt is able to communicate telepathically with other Numen, and her experience with these powers frames her to become the main villain of the Dead Island franchise.
Konradt Does Not Want an Autophage Cure
Dead Island 2’s main story reveals that Dr. Reed injected his daughter, Tisha, with Numen blood when she was still in her mother’s womb, making her blood the key to curing the Autophage and potentially saving humanity. The Slayers decide to remain in L.A. as Emma, Sam B, and Patton make their escape given Tisha’s survival means a chance for humanity. While they will attempt to rescue her, Konradt and the other Numen will likely try to prevent this.
With Konradt already planning out a world without humanity, and the Numen showcasing tremendous powers of communication and combat, a cure for the Autophage will only be a hindrance. Future installments of the Dead Island franchise could represent her as the main villain, someone players need to either defeat or outsmart in order to save humanity from the Autophage. Ultimately, the Slayers will have to fight their way through Konradt and her Numen allies to get Tisha out of L.A. and to get the cure circulating.
While Dead Island may conclude this storyline with DLC, future installments could also see the return of Konradt, or focus on other villains that were heavily influenced by her goals. Whatever the case may be, fans will probably be itching to get their hands on the next Dead Island installment to see how the story of the Slayer continues.
Dead Island 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
