In other words this code:

sub x { 
    (); 
} 
 
@x = x(); 
 
use Data::Dumper; warn Dumper([\@x]);
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shows that @x is bound to a list with one element.

No, it's not. Watch this:

sub routine { return (); }
@x = routine();
print 0+@x;
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This prints 0, as expected. You are handing to Data::Dumper a list of one item, that one item being a reference to your empty array. Stop indirecting so much!

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker