The Neurological Intelligence

Prologue: The Diamond Within

The sterile laboratory echoed with the frantic beeps of a life support machine. Professor Min Jong Kim, sweat clinging to his brow, worked tirelessly, his hands a blur of practiced precision. On the operating table lay his three-year-old daughter, Soo Yeon, pale and unconscious.

Moments ago, the quiet hum of research had been shattered by the shattering sound of gunfire. Insurgents, their faces obscured by masks, had stormed the Korean Chemical Institute, searching for something Professor Kim and his late mentor, Professor Chang, had been developing for years – BrainChem, a revolutionary formula to enhance human cognitive function.

The battle had been fierce, the laboratory turned into a chaotic battlefield. Professor Chang, a man of science and peace, had shielded Soo Yeon from a stray bullet, sacrificing his own life in the process. As the attackers fled, Professor Kim found his daughter and his friend, both critically wounded.

With a heavy heart, Professor Chang had whispered his final words: "The Diamond... they don't have it..." He explained that the true power lay not in BrainChem, but in the "Diamond," a prototype neural implant he and Professor Kim had developed to harness the full potential of the enhanced brain. In Soo Yeon's case, the chaos of the invasion had inadvertently activated the implant during the head wound.

Professor Kim, his grief a white-hot fire, knew he had to act. He disregarded standard protocols, his unwavering love for his daughter fueling his resolve. With a surgeon's precision honed by years of research, he performed a risky brain surgery on Soo Yeon, a surgery no other dared attempt.

Hours bled into an eternity. Finally, the rhythmic beeps of the life support machine steadied. Dawn painted the laboratory with a wan light as Soo Yeon coughed, her eyelids fluttering open. Relief, a sweet and suffocating wave, washed over Professor Kim. His daughter was alive. But he knew this was just the beginning.

He cradled Soo Yeon's fragile form, a silent vow escaping his lips. He would protect her. He would unravel the mysteries of the Diamond and the forces that sought its power. He would ensure that his daughter, the vessel of this extraordinary technology, would not become a weapon, but a testament to the boundless potential of the human mind.

The years that followed were a constant dance between hope and fear. The incident at the KCI remained a closely guarded secret. Soo Yeon grew into a brilliant and curious young girl, oblivious to the hidden secrets within her mind. But a persistent dream, a silent old man who began to speak after the tragic death of her parents in Malaysia, hinted at the strange powers awakening within her.

Now, at sixteen, Soo Yeon's life was about to take another dramatic turn. A new friend, a captivating mystery, and a shadowy enemy would force her to confront the truth about her past, the power within her, and the price she might have to pay for being extraordinary.